29-01-2025
Businesses saw little impact from movie
Several downtown businesses said this week that they saw little economic benefits from the filming of 'Bachelor Santa' for two weeks this month.
But they still enjoyed the experience, several said.
Goldenrod Film & Television filmed the independent Christmas movie here with a cast and crew of 45 people this month.
Kristi Kilday and Jeremy Winton, cofounders of the company, say they plan to return to make more movies in the future.
They had filmed part of the Christmas movie, 'The Christmas Pitch,' here in December.
Andrea Benke, general manager of the Holiday Inn Owensboro Riverfront, said, 'They filmed here Wednesday through Saturday last week. It brought in a nice crowd. But we didn't have rooms for them because of the big basketball tournament in town.'
She said, 'A couple of our housekeepers got to be extras. The baking contest was filmed here. And a little girl got chased by a villain in the restaurant. It was definitely a good experience. It was cool to see behind the scenes of filming.'
Benke said the restaurant got a lot of business from extras, cast and crew.
City Commissioner Sharon NeSmith, general manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites Owensboro Downtown/Waterfront, said, 'They filmed in one hotel room. I didn't charge them for that. One of our housekeepers was in a scene. And one of our people was working in the lobby and they needed someone to receive a package and look surprised. They picked him.'
She said, 'I looked out one day and the lobby was full of people having a good time. It exposed a lot of local people to the hotel. It didn't add to my bottom line. But it showcased the hotel. I'm hoping it's a huge success. They were great to work with.'
NeSmith said, 'The hotel was almost full and the guests enjoyed it. Hopefully, the publicity will help.'
Ben Skiadas, who owns Lure Seafood & Grille and Famous Bistro, said, 'The crew frequented the restaurants. They were as nice as could be. It's always fun to watch out-of-towners slowly fall in love with our little town.'
Collin MacQuarrie, whose family owns both Colby's Fine Food & Spirits and Colby's Deli & Café, said as far as he knew, the restaurants saw little benefit.
'A few people talked about it,' he said, 'but as far as it influencing business, I would say not. They were here pretty quickly and left as soon as they came. Efficient, for sure.'
The Brew Bridge brewery said, 'We didn't see any impact on our business.'
'Bachelor Santa' is scheduled to be released next December on some streaming channel.
