Elizabeth City Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Notes Economic and PR Impact from "The Guardian" Filming

GREENVILLE, N.C., April 2, 2006 - The Elizabeth City Chamber of Commerce has announced economic and public relations impact figures resulting from location filming of the Disney/Touchstone production "The Guardian."

"The Guardian," which is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2006, is a drama directed by Andrew Davis. It stars Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Neal McDonough, Clancy Brown, Melissa Sagemiller, Brian Geraghty and Sela Ward. The film is written by Ron Brinkerhoff, produced by Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson, and executive produced by Armyan Bernstein, Charlie Lyons, Zanne Devine and Peter Macgregor-Scott.

The 180+ member production crew moved into Elizabeth City in early March for location shooting at, among other places, the local Coast Guard Station. The movie's producers estimate that they spent over $1 million filming scenes in Elizabeth City.

Among the more than 40 local businesses to benefit are:

Wright Ice & Fuel
Enterprise Rent-a-Car
Rental Service Corporation
Eventful Rentals
Distinctive Rentals
Party & Equipment Rentals
Waste Management
Food Lion
Farm Fresh
Quality Inn
Hampton Inn
Holiday Inn Express
The Board Room
Century 21 Laundromat
Deborah's Cleaning Service
Albemarle Bowling Center
Starbuck's
Goin' Postal
UPS Store
Red Apple
Office Max
Norman Young Tire
Sprint
The Daily Advance
Montero's Restaurant, Bar & Catering
Grouper's
Toyama
West End Station
City Wine Sellar
Cypress Creek
Barbecue Barn
C&H Oyster Bar
Dragon Buffet
Levels
Thumper's
Pam's Place
Applebee's
Headlights
Hogan's Bar & Grille

At least 84 media outlets representing 29 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and three countries abroad-including nationally-recognized publications and numerous high-profile websites-picked up and ran the Associated Press story on the production: USA Today, the Washington Post, New York Newsday, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, San Diego Union Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Forbes, ABC News, and CBS News.

"This is a perfect example of what can emerge after a concerted regional effort is made to highlight the many unique characteristics of the Inner Banks," said Phillip Horne, FoR ENC president and director of the Eastern North Carolina Film Commission. "Working with our colleagues in the NC Film Office has paid off in the form of a major Hollywood production studio choosing Eastern North Carolina as a desirable site for making movies and, in the process, providing a significant economic windfall to Inner Banks businesses."

In November of 2005, the North Carolina Department of Commerce appointed FoR ENC as the official Eastern North Carolina Film Commission. The ENC Film Commission represents the 32 Eastern North Carolina counties not currently served by the Wilmington Region Film Commission.

The Foundation of Renewal for Eastern North Carolina (FoR ENC) is a private, not-for-profit corporation designed to serve as a catalyst for economic and entrepreneurial growth in Eastern North Carolina.