By Jorge Casuso
September 2, 2025 -- Since Charlie Chaplin starred in a film comedy on the Pier in 1914, Santa Monica has been the backdrop of major films and TV shows -- from "Forrest Gump," "Baywatch" and "Barbie" to "Iron Man," "Sharknado" and "Speed." |
Charlie Chaplin in "Tillie's Punctured Romance filmed on the Pier in 1914 On Monday, the City and Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) began cashing in on the beach city's screen allure by taking a leading role in permitting, support and marketing for all productions shot in the city. |
Under a three-year contract approved by the Council last month, SMTT's new entity, Film Santa Monica, will "market the city as a premier filming destination for television, full-length features, commercial shoots and more" at no cost to the City, officials announced Friday.
“Santa Monica has always been an ideal backdrop for filming of all kinds, and there are so many iconic shots of our city in beloved movies and TV shows,” Mayor Lana Negrete said in a statement.
"This strategic effort to leverage that as a revenue source aligns perfectly with our goal of increasing Economic Opportunity & Growth in our city.”
Film Santa Monica's Chief Operating Officer Evan Edwards said the entity's creation "presents a distinct opportunity to localize management of productions taking place in our beloved beach city."
It also is an opportunity to "effectively market Santa Monica’s many versatile and vivid locations to entertainment industry professionals,” Edwards said.
Film Santa Monica's new website lists 40 film locations, including such iconic destinations as Santa Monica Beach, where lifegaurds ran on Baywatch; the Pier that Ironman soared above, and City Hall, which served as the jail where Barbie and Ken were booked.
The locations also include two dozen parks, the Airport, two farmers markets, Bergamot Station, Camera Obscura, Santa Monica Place, the Annenberg Community Beach House, Barker Hangar and Downtown.
Film Santa Monica will expand on SMTT's expertise in selling Santa Monica as a destination, its deep connections with the community and "wealth of knowledge about the best venues and hidden gems," Edwards said.
That expertise "will equip us to lead Santa Monica’s filming efforts with both logistical efficacy and invaluable insight."
Santa Monica Film was chosen by the Council on July 29 to run film services for the City, which has hired a contractor since 2013 "due to the volume and complexity associated with these requests," according to a staff report to the Council.
The services include "film permit coordination, permit process improvement, marketing, notification, monitoring, and complaint referral services," according to staff.
"After an extensive evaluation process and finalist interviews, staff recommends Film Santa Monica as the best bidder," the report said. "Film Santa Monica charges its own processing fees directly to the applicant, resulting in no cost to the City."
In its report, staff noted that Film Santa Monica "also plans to engage in direct outreach with content creators, commercial agencies, and independent filmmakers who can benefit from Santa Monica’s unique offering."
Santa Monica didn't issue film permits when Mack Sennett filmed the first feature-length comedy, “Tillie’s Punctured Romance,” starring Chaplin and the Keystone cops on and around the Pier in 1914.
Today, according to Film Santa Monica, "leading production teams continue selecting Santa Monica as the region’s iconic backdrop for picturesque beach scenes, exciting metropolitan shots and colorful, bustling environments."
