The beauty and friendliness that drives visitors to Routt County for recreation and sightseeing are the same traits that can attract more creative and economic contributions from filmmakers.
The Steamboat Film Commission, under the auspices of nonprofit Steamboat Creates, hopes to attract new energy, resources and area volunteers to the beauty of filming in the region by hosting a free Colorado West Filmmakers Forum. The public is invited to the forum 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Library Hall in Steamboat Springs.
The forum, co-hosted by the Boulder County Film Commission, hopes to bring together filmmakers, students and community members to gain insight into the filmmaking industry in Colorado. The forum aims to connect more film-friendly volunteers and locations to help Steamboat Creates with its current drive to boost the commission committee and update the Steamboat production guide.
Kim Keith, Steamboat Creates executive director, volunteers as the Northwest Colorado regional film liaison for the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, which is under the umbrella of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
The state film office lists up to 12 film commissions or regional liaisons including those in Glenwood Springs, Crested Butte, Telluride and the newest in Grand Junction.
“We are that resource that people can come to when they film in Steamboat Springs and have some access to resources while they are here and have a good experience,” Keith said.
Anyone with film, television and media production experience with the ability to help as a volunteer, or representatives of film-friendly shooting locations is encouraged to attend. The Saturday event including lunch will feature networking opportunities as well as such sessions as Getting the Gig, Locations and Film-Friendly Towns, Stories from the Field, Storytelling for Change, and Job Growth Opportunities.
On Friday, the forum is hosting an additional small-group event with a $99 fee for a Guided and Curated Location Scouting Tour.
Routt County may not attract big-budget Hollywood blockbusters that need high-end filming equipment, but plenty of small film, video and photography crews visit the area to capture the scenery for vehicle commercials, outdoor gear promotions, documentary segments and several reality shows, film commission supporters say.
For example, the family-friendly, independent movie “Yuletide the Knot,” which is streaming online now on the UP Faith & Family channel, was filmed in Routt County during two weeks in spring 2022. The small-budget film was shot almost entirely in Routt County to represent the fictional small town of “Pineview.”
The film showed beautiful scenes such as aerial drone footage of northern Routt County, Oak Street, Holy Name Catholic Church and Howelsen Hill. The majority of the movie was shot at La Joya Dulce ranch wedding venue located eight miles north of Steamboat, along with scenes filmed in downtown Steamboat including locations such as Smell That Bread Bakery and Steamboat Floral.
Following the welcome on Saturday, Colorado Film Commissioner Donald Zuckerman will discuss “Ins and Outs of the Colorado Film Incentive Program” at 9:45 a.m. Zuckerman has produced 17 feature-length motion pictures, three feature-length documentaries and one documentary series.
Some other speakers Saturday include Sara Furey, a professional location scout from Breckenridge, who will discuss how filmmakers can choose smart locations for their work and how rural towns can better support filmmaking.
Speaker Kelly Anzalone of KPA Productions will discuss his experience running a rural production company in Routt County. Anzalone makes his living in videography, including everything from a shoot of country music performances at Three Forks Ranch in northern Routt County, to helping with a Ford vehicle commercial in the Sanctuary neighborhood, to shooting segments for The Cowboy Channel.
“Talent are surprised when they come to the valley and there are people here who are good at what they do,” Anzalone said.
Anzalone said being friendly, fun and easy to work with, along with doing a good job, brings him plenty of work via word of mouth. The videographer said Routt County assets range from drone videography to natural and agricultural landscapes, from photogenic winter sports athletes to snowy images outdoors “that you just can’t find in other places.”
“We do just have absolutely gorgeous weather, glorious mountains off in the distance, the alpenglow, sunrises and sunsets, and double rainbows,” Anzalone noted.
Reservations and more information about the Colorado West Filmmakers Forum are available online at SteamboatCreates.org under the Events tab.
Since Steamboat Creates assumed leadership of the Steamboat Film Commission — which was formerly housed at the Steamboat Chamber — the creative group hosted a drive-in film festival during the COVID-19 pandemic, approved various filming permits for shoots within Steamboat city limits and hosted a workshop in 2023 on how to become a production assistant attended by some 40 people.
