Film Tampa Bay

What Film Tampa Bay does

Film Tampa Bay is the marketing name for the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission, a government-affiliated non-profit film commission operating on behalf of Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, the City of Plant City, and the City of Temple Terrace. The commission provides free one-stop film permitting across public property in Hillsborough County, along with location scouting, familiarization tours, crew and equipment vendor referrals, hotel accommodation coordination, and production logistics support for feature films, television series, commercials, documentaries, music videos, and still photography shoots. Its core platform combines a Reel-Scout-powered crew directory and location scouting database with on-the-ground service delivery from a small in-house team led by the Film Commissioner.

The organization is funded by its municipal partners as an economic development vehicle rather than as a revenue-generating enterprise; services are provided at no cost to productions as an incentive to attract screen production spending into the county. It maintains a public filmography of productions shot in the region (including Magic Mike, The Infiltrator, Pain Hustlers, Tiger King, Selling Tampa, and 90 Day Fiancé), produces the Loose Framing Podcast, and runs marketing channels including a news site, blog, and social profiles. Recent strategic activity has centered on workforce development (a Production Assistant Training Program launched with Stage 32 in 2025), a corporate rebrand in early 2025, and a 2026 nomination for Screen International's City of Film Award at the Global Production Awards. Over its first decade, the commission attributes more than $100M in direct economic impact to the county from productions it has supported.

Name

Film Tampa Bay

Legal name

Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission

Website

https://filmtampabay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Film Tampa Bay is the government-affiliated film commission for Hillsborough County and its municipalities, providing free film permitting, location scouting, crew and vendor referrals, and production support to attract screen productions to the Tampa Bay region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Commission Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Locations Services (Scouting, Permits, Management) (MPADAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

On-Lot Location Services & Permitting Coordination (MPADAIAG)

Keywords

• Film commission services
• Film permitting
• Location scouting
• Crew directory
• Production support

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Services: Film Tampa Bay is a government-funded film commission operated on behalf of Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, City of Plant City, and City of Temple Terrace. Services are provided at no cost to productions as economic development incentive.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Film Tampa Bay provides free one-stop film permitting, location scouting and familiarization tours, a professional crew directory, and production assistance including equipment vendor referrals and accommodation booking for film, television, commercial, documentary, music video, and still photography productions across Hillsborough County. The commission operates as a government-funded economic development function on behalf of Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, City of Plant City, and City of Temple Terrace.

Product overview

Film Tampa Bay is the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission, operating on behalf of Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, City of Plant City, and City of Temple Terrace. It functions as a film commission providing permit services, location scouting, crew directory (via Reel-Scout), and production support. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of services including free one-stop permitting, personalized location tours, equipment and vendor referrals, hotel accommodations with preferred rates, and a Production Assistant Training Program in partnership with Stage 32. Media offerings include the Loose Framing Podcast and an Industry News blog. The commission maintains a filmography database of productions shot in the region and connects filmmakers with local crew, equipment vendors, and job opportunities through classified listings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Permits One-stop permit processing for film, digital productions, and still photography shoots on public property throughout Hillsborough County, provided free of charge.
• Location Scouting & Familiarization Tours Personalized location packages and familiarization tours for producers scouting locations in Hillsborough County, including diverse settings from urban cityscapes to rural farmland.
• Crew Directory Directory of Tampa's professional film crew, powered by the Reel-Scout platform, giving productions access to local talent to increase production value.
• Production Assistance Comprehensive production support including equipment and vendor recommendations, production facilities, office spaces, equipment suppliers, and hotel accommodations with preferred production rates.
• Production Assistant Training Program Partnership with Stage 32 providing online education and training for aspiring production assistants entering the film and television industry in Tampa Bay.
• Equipment & Vendor Classifieds Classified listings for film equipment rentals and vendor services available in the Tampa Bay area.
• Job Classifieds

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regular and supporting.

• Stage 32coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2025Stage 32, a leading online education platform for film and television professionals, partnered with Film Tampa Bay to launch a Production Assistant Training Program, providing workforce development for aspiring film professionals in the Tampa Bay region.
• Hillsborough CountycoreOthersFilm Tampa Bay operates on behalf of Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, City of Plant City, and City of Temple Terrace, providing film permitting and production support services.
• Gasparilla International Film FestivalmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFilm Tampa Bay partners with the Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) annually, co-hosting events and promoting Tampa Bay as a filming destination during the festival.
• Tampa TheatreregularGTM or Marketing PartnerFilm Tampa Bay partners with Tampa Theatre for screening events including the Film Tampa Bay Presents series and Juneteenth Film Festival screenings.
• Second Screen Cult CinemaregularGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for cult film screenings at Green Light Cinema, celebrating anniversaries like American Psycho's 25th anniversary and screening films like Dark City and Blood and Black Lace.
• Reel-ScoutsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform used for the Crew Directory, providing online crew booking and location scouting services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Film Vancouver (Vancouver International Film Commission): Municipal film commission in Vancouver, British Columbia providing permitting, location scouting, and crew/permit coordination to productions — functionally identical operating model but serving a Canadian jurisdiction rather than competing head-to-head with Tampa.

Direct peers

• Georgia Film Office: Statewide film commission that handles location scouting, permitting coordination, and producer outreach for productions pursuing Georgia's 30% tax credit — the principal incentive-driven competitor to Film Tampa Bay's home market.
• FilmLA: FilmLA is the official film office for the City and County of Los Angeles, providing permit processing, location services, and production coordination — the same core service model Film Tampa Bay operates, but at a far larger scale and with greater industry gravity.
• Louisiana Entertainment: Louisiana's statewide film office administering one of the country's most generous tax credit programs while also providing location services and production support — a like-for-like government film commission with a far larger incentive footprint.
• NYC Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment: Government-affiliated film office for New York City that issues film permits, conducts location scouting, and delivers production support to studios and streamers — directly comparable in mission and operating model to Film Tampa Bay's Hillsborough County mandate.
• Film North Carolina (NC Film Office): State-level film commission offering location scouting, permitting assistance, and crew referrals supported by North Carolina's film incentive grant — directly comparable service portfolio and incentive-based competitive posture to Film Tampa Bay.

Broad incumbents

• California Film Commission: State-level film office operating under the California Government Operations Agency, providing statewide permitting support, location assistance, and incentive administration — a broader-incumbent version of Film Tampa Bay's county-level mandate.
• British Film Commission: National-level film commission promoting the UK as a filming destination and coordinating with local production offices — analogous to Film Tampa Bay's economic-development mission but at country scale, making it a broader-incumbent comparable.

Others

• Reel-Scout: Software platform powering Film Tampa Bay's crew directory, location scouting, and production resource tools — comparable as the enabling technology vendor that many regional film commissions license for similar self-serve producer workflows.
• Stage 32: Online education and networking platform for film/TV professionals that partnered with Film Tampa Bay to launch the PA Training Program — comparable as a workforce-development ecosystem player adjacent to the commission's core services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FilmTampaBay
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@filmtampabay
• Instagraminstagram.com/filmtampabay
• Facebookfacebook.com/filmtampabay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/film-tampa-bay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Film Tampa Bay