Filming in the Livermore Valley Takes Off

The Livermore Valley Film Commission was established over five years ago as an economic stimulus initiative for the region.

Dale Eldridge Kaye, President and CEO of the Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce, had experience in the production industry, and realized the huge potential of Livermore, Pleasanton, and Dublin to attract filmmakers.

"The combination of beautiful landscape, charming downtowns, and a variety of businesses are a huge asset for production companies looking for locations," says Kaye.

Jeanie Haigh is the Assistant Director of the Film Commission, and describes her role as part concierge, part location scout, part trouble-shooter, and all challenging.

"I love getting a request for a production to come here, whether for a feature film, commercial, or corporate video, and finding them the location and resources they need," stated Haigh. "When a production company wraps the shoot and leaves here with a good impression of the community, it’s the most satisfying feeling."

Residents and city officials are extremely encouraging and welcoming to crews. A recent commercial for Toyota was filmed on a ranch outside Livermore. A lot of last minute logistics went into making it happen, while protecting the desire of Toyota to keep the project secret, as it showcased all their new vehicles.

Not only did the Film Commission have to line up the ranch with the right look, they assisted with parking issues for the car transports and crew trucks, transportation, lodging, police escorts, and city engineering parking encroachment issues. Heavy downpours the day before filming made for even more challenges.

The ranch turned out to be too slick to film on the scheduled day, so it all had to happen again two days later, with most of the logistics having to get ironed out over a weekend. The good news is the production team was extremely happy with the assistance they received, and will be coming back often. Even better news for the community is that it had an estimated $84,000 economic benefit to the area.

What is airing now that you may recognize as the Tri-Valley? The CitiBank commercial with the guys chasing the weather balloon was filmed on a ranch outside Livermore. Fruit of the Loom filmed in Livermore, along with Muir Woods and north coast beaches. Mythbusters is airing several episodes that were filmed in the area, including Walk a Straight Line and Bikes vs Cars. , will air May of 2012.

While these are some of the more recognizable productions filmed in the Tri-Valley, there are scores of corporate videos, student films, independent films, and still photo shoots that take place in our region.

Keep your eyes out for cameras — you could be a star!