Film Production Companies On Location | How It Started
When Callaway Golf selected Mission Inn Resort & Club as the site of a 2013 video advertisement, golf superstar and brand ambassador Ernie Els was cast in the leading role.
But behind the scenes, the legendary hospitality of the luxury destination stole the show.
“We just made sure they had a variety of spaces and gave them the attention they needed,” recalls Michael Bowery, the Director of Golf at Mission Inn. “Like everyone who comes here, we make them feel welcome.”
It did not go unnoticed by the production company and has led to the resort developing a solid relationship with Orlando-based location scouts who recommend Mission Inn to their clients and also connected the resort with PGA TOUR Entertainment, which has done numerous shoots on property.
“I continue to be impressed with the beauty of Mission Inn’s golf courses, with the charm of the resort, and with its film-friendly support staff,” says Alan Levi, a leading location scout and film production manager for the Orlando region. “Mission Inn has never failed to provide exactly what national and international clients need for a successful production.”
There are 1,100 reasons location scouts like Mission Inn, as in the 1,100 acres that provide options for settings. Particularly, on the historic El Campeón course, most of the backdrops are natural, with no intrusion by residential development.
“The last thing they want to see is swimming pools and patios in the background,” Bowery said. “We must have 100 options without that as a problem.”
For Callaway Golf, the resort not only built bleachers behind the 12th green at El Campeón – creating a “tournament backdrop” – Mission Inn recruited staff and club members to fill up the seating.
“Everyone here at the resort is very supportive of working with the film crews,” Bowery said. “I think they like us because we give them all the personal attention they deserve, and may not get elsewhere.”
That includes Bud Beucher, the Co-Owner, Vice President & General Manager of the resort, whose family has owned and operated Mission Inn since 1964. If you look closely at the Callaway commercial, there’s the boss, right there in the bleachers, cheering for Els.
Or, maybe Beucher was cheering for Els’ caddie – played by Beucher’s son, Joe.
Talk about personal attention…
