CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Filmmakers and television producers spent more than $258 million in North Carolina last year and created 16,000 jobs, data from the Department of Commerce shows.
More than 70 projects were filmed across North Carolina in 2022, including series like "Hightown" and "The Summer I Turned Pretty." Several travel and reality shows also shot episodes and features in the Tar Heel State, including "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," "Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks," and "Pawn Stars."
Netflix also filmed in the Charlotte area with its hit series "The Ultimatum," which was awarded a $1.57 million grant for a full season's production. Several major advertisers filmed commercials in North Carolina, too, including Twisted Tea and Chevrolet, as well as numerous NASCAR-related ads filmed at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
"Our film industry is an economic multiplier for North Carolina," Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders said. "These projects not only provide thousands of job opportunities for our talented workforce, but they also support the small business communities surrounding every production set, positively impacting the local economies where they film."
North Carolina officials say 2023 is off to a strong start with filming already bringing in nearly $100 million and creating more than 9,700 jobs.
Productions filming in North Carolina so far this year include a crime drama called "Blue Ridge," an independent movie titled "Summer Camp" and Hallmark's highly anticipated "A Biltmore Christmas," which is set to debut during the 2023 Countdown to Christmas.
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