County Derives Big Bucks From Local Filming

Despite protest stickers urging our southern neighbors to “Keep L.A. 100 Miles Away,” the Hollywood film industry thrived in Santa Barbara County last year, putting a combined $46 million into the economies of the City and County of Santa Barbara. One hundred forty-seven separate productions spent a total of 476 days filming commercials, television shows, feature films, and various still-shot operations. Thanks to productions like Grindhouse and Pirates of the Caribbean III, 2006 marked the biggest local Hollywood splash since Sideways filmed in 2003.