A Tampa Bay ad agency is using Tampa’s state-of-the-art infrastructure to demonstrate to out-of-market clients that world-class ideas can be conceived, shot, and fully produced with the Tampa Bay market.
- Tampa ad agency uses Selmon Expressway as digital promotional tool
- Agency shoots film with office on Selmon Expressway
Ad Partners shot a film Tuesday, showcasing the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. The Selmon Expressway was converted into an executive office, complete with a vintage desk and chair, massive area rug, wingchair, and a vintage television set.
The purpose of the Selmon Expressway in particular was to stage a master scene with massive production values,” says Jonni Watts, the film’s producer who is also a former veteran with the St. Pete Clearwater Film Commission. “The scene in the film shows a man working at a desk in the middle of the Selmon Expressway, and it is the vastness of the Selmon behind him that adds a sense of desolation and cinema grandeur to the idea.”
The film shoot lasted four hours and both entrances of the Selmon were blocked during filming. The film required a special permitting and approval, along with extra-duty officers for safety.
“Tampa is a unique area with so many interesting set opportunities for film makers,” says Skeek Allen, the film’s director. “Even local commercial production work is often produced out-of-market – and in so many cases that is completely unnecessary. Tampa Bay has many location opportunities – from Ybor City to the beaches, to downtown, and in our case, the upper deck of the Selmon.”
The film will likely be submitted to Tampa Bay’s next Gasparilla International Film Festival in 2018. In the meantime, the film will be used as a digital promotional tool.