Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Film Commission held its 7th annual "Spot On Commercial Contest" Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, handing out a top prize for two commercial spot campaigns called No Lens is Wide Enough for Utah. A cash prize of $3,000 was given to the creators, Tennille Olsen and Will Thomas of Pleasantville, Utah.
The winning campaign will air on Park City Television during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. "Tennille and Will's work will be seen by thousands of visitors including many film producers and directors that attend the festival," said Marshall Moore, director of the Utah Film Commission. "Moreover, these commercials in particular illustrate that Utah is an ideal destination for any type of film production."
For the past seven years, the UFC has held its "Spot On" Commercial Contest, giving the opportunity for local residents and those attending school in the state to submit originally created commercial spots to help promote Utah as a filming destination. The nearly 80 submissions were reviewed and judged by an independent group of industry professionals with backgrounds in film and advertising: John Corser (FilmUtah Magazine), Topher Horman (SLC Film Center), Amy Lukas (Infinite Scale Design Group), Jeff Miller (Vineyard Productions), Susen Sawatzki (Ad News) and Brian Wimmer (X-Dance Film Festival).
Other awards given were the Creative Concept Award - Kevin Bowden, Tasha Nielson and Brandon Sandberg for their spot titled "Utah: Your Masterpiece." The 18 Years or Younger Award went to Taylor Lewis for "I Want to be a Filmmaker," and several entries received honorable mentions.
"I can assure you that the Governor (Herbert) is committed to the growth in film and tourism. We have a keen interest in the new Motion Picture Incentive Fund and the need to increase the length of that fund from a short term period to a long term period so we can get a major television series here. That is one of the priorities for us," said Spencer Eccles, executive director of the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development.
Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism and former director of the Utah Film Commission, also spoke and honored the film contestants for their strong effort to market the state as a viable place to make movies. "Make no mistake, Utah has always been known to be more then a competitive dose of locations, it has also been a competitive area for crew, talent, equipment, and so many vendors who give the state the film friendly environment we enjoy."
Utah Film Commission Director Marshall Moore spoke to the industry professionals updating them on current and future film projects.
"Since last January, 15 productions have shot in Utah, including Frozen, which was just recently announced as an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival.
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