Boulder County Film Commission Roundtables Help Build Creative Community

Originally published by the Daily Camera, June 7, 2026. 

The first thing people ask when they hear “Film Commissioner” is whether I’ve met anybody famous. The answer is yes, of course, but lately it seems like we’ll be seeing more and more of them here in Boulder.

That’s the funny thing about movies arriving in a town the size of Boulder. Back in the day, we had “Downhill Racer” filmed partially here, starring Robert Redford — former janitor at The Sink. Nowadays, the stars show up in tinted SUVs, but the real drama happens at the hardware store.

Within days of a production arriving, someone’s racing into McGuckin needing a generator “right away!” while another member of a 100-person crew is frantically searching downtown for a blow dryer. Meanwhile, three college students are sitting inside OZO debating whether the lead actor was really in “8 Mile.” If you lived up in Gold Hill during the filming of “Elevation” in late 2022 and early 2023, you know exactly what I mean.

Then there are the location requests.
Remember Jennifer Garner walking down Pearl Street during the filming of “Catch and Release”? That wasn’t too difficult — it just required logistics and timing. Hollywood likes authenticity, though, which is how I once spent an afternoon showing the producer of a national television series around Pearl Street cafes and restaurants while explaining, “No, you can’t really set up hidden cameras on the Pearl Street Mall.” Their cameras had to stay inside private businesses, with permission from owners and their customers.

Still, the show went on. They ended up filming two episodes here, and my wife and I cried watching them because they genuinely captured the heart and soul of our community. I was proud of our town. So yes, compromise is the true art form of filmmaking. But this is Boulder — no hidden cameras on Pearl Street.

Some people imagine my job is glamorous, but most of it involves practical negotiations. Can the crew close Broadway for four hours during rush hour? Can firetrucks wait until after the dialogue scene? Can we film a hundred-person crew on the Royal Arch Trail in front of the Flatirons? Ha! Can you imagine?

And yet, you’d be surprised how often the answer is yes. A town our size is better at filmmaking than many people realize. We already know how to improvise.

I remember watching “Elevation” after it came out and laughing at the scene where the heroes frantically pulled into a hospital ER entrance. In reality, they were parked outside the old hospital in north Boulder, using a partially torn-down ER entrance with a hastily made vinyl banner pretending to be a functioning hospital. Ahhhh, the magic of Hollywood.

As Boulder County film commissioner, one of my main goals is bringing more production work to Boulder and Boulder County. I feel like we’re doing a great job building and supporting our creative community through networking events, creative directories, trade shows and industry roundtables. We’ve clearly established that we have the infrastructure to support feature films here. But there’s still work to do.

Now that the Film Commission is part of the Boulder Chamber, I’m excited about how our advocacy team can work with the Colorado Film Commission to improve the state’s film incentive program. Compared to neighboring states, Colorado’s 20% incentive is — well — lacking. New Mexico offers 35%.

We’re also beginning to research the possibility of a Boulder County 10% “stackable” incentive to supplement the state program. Studies across the country consistently show strong returns on investment from film incentives through local spending, jobs and tourism.

And with the Sundance Film Festival arriving in Boulder in just a few short months, there’s a lot happening.

Our Film Commission Roundtables are held several times a year to help shape our work plan and determine where we should focus our time and energy for the greatest impact on our creative community. Our next Roundtable is June 11, and there’s more information on the Film Commission website if you’re interested in literally having a seat at the table.

Two years ago, I met with a producer interested in filming in Boulder. I shared some advice, helped connect them with local crew members, and gave them insight into how to make production here run smoothly. So I was thrilled when they returned last year with a $15 million budget and filmed their movie “The Man Who Changed the World.”

But the best part wasn’t the budget or the production itself — it was realizing that more than 90% of the 100-person crew was local.