Experiencing Global Destinations Firsthand: The Lived Value of PSN Filmmaker FAM Trips
In today’s fast-paced, highly competitive media landscape, studio executives and physical producers face continuous pressure to elevate visual scope while navigating tight budgets and condensed timelines. At the same time, regional Film Commissions and Tourism Boards (DMOs) are actively seeking ways to attract major productions that generate lasting economic and tourism growth. Production Service Network (PSN) bridges these goals through curated Filmmaker Familiarization (FAM) Trips—boots-on-the-ground expeditions designed to give decision-makers direct, firsthand experience in emerging and established filming hubs across the globe, such as Colombia, Spain, and Portugal.
Far beyond passive sightseeing, these trips serve as a practical alignment tool for all key stakeholders. By bringing filmmakers together with local production leads, regional film offices, tourism organizations, and strategic travel partners, PSN creates a collaborative space to solve operational challenges upfront. This hands-on environment allows decision-makers to explore how regional film incentives, co-op tourism resources, and hospitality support can be seamlessly combined to reduce net financial risk for productions while maximizing long-term returns for destination partners. Ultimately, PSN FAM trips establish immediate operational confidence while unlocking shared creative and economic value for everyone involved.
1. The Lived Experience: A Tactical Advantage for Filmmakers
For studio executives, line producers, and location managers, nothing replaces the confidence gained from walking a location, meeting local crew leaders, and testing state-of-the-art facilities firsthand. As physical production schedules leave little room for last-minute scouting, early-stage FAM trips lay the critical foundation for future projects.
“We’re always developing shows and movies, always looking for territories you can build on. PSN is the beginning. You get to figure it out from its infancy into a show.”
— Melvin Mar, Executive Producer (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, American Born Chinese) & PGA VP of Television
“By the time a project lands, there’s no time for a FAM trip. There’s a lot of takeaway from experiencing this early.”
— Lisa Cochran, Executive Producer & Studio Executive
Direct Insights from Recent Expeditions
- Uncovering Location Doubling & Versatility: Visiting producers regularly discover that overseas destinations can stand in for far more expensive global hubs. In Madeira, producer Mark Foligno observed, “There’s no real need to go to Hawaii when you have an island like this right off the coast of Europe.”
- In Colombia, Skydance VP of Physical Production Adrienne Jones noted, “Cartagena was very surprising to me… you can potentially double New Orleans in Cartagena, or turn the camera and get a Miami cityscape.”
- Testing Modern Infrastructure & Tech: During visits to Bogotá, executives evaluated cutting-edge soundstages and LED volume stages. David Friendly, Oscar-nominated producer of Little Miss Sunshine, remarked, “What really caught me by surprise was the level of technology. That volume stage was state of the art… It tells you that the country is right with it, and that was very reassuring.”
- Establishing Vetted Service Partners: Selecting a local service company is often the single most critical decision in international production. Joe Malloch, VP of Production at Searchlight Pictures, noted: “To have trusted partners who can answer a lot of the questions… understanding your approach, and what we’ve seen here, and applying that to other locations is a good guide.” Co-producer Mark Hubbard (Downton Abbey) added: “The key decision you make on a foreign film is the service company. That defines how everything on the film will go… Knowing people at PSN that have a wide range of knowledge across the world of those service companies is a very useful tool.”
2. Immediate & Strategic Value for Travel, Hospitality, and Transport Sponsors
Film and television productions represent one of the highest-yield corporate travel segments in the world. A single feature film or episodic series can generate thousands of hotel room nights and significant air travel spend, often during off-peak seasons. PSN FAM trips bridge the gap between production demands and hospitality providers, establishing operational alignment long before cameras roll.
“It means that they’ll be able to look after us better because they know more about the people they’re looking after. What we do as producers is unique… suddenly needing hotel rooms for 300 people plus charter flights. The more we can establish those partnerships early, the better.”
— Alex Boden, Producer (Tokyo Vice, Sense8) & Former Chair of PGGB
Airlines and Charter Services
Direct engagement with airline partners allows producers to establish reliable lines of communication for complex travel itineraries, heavy equipment freight, and VIP travel requirements.
- United Airlines Engagement: Lisa Harwood, Account Manager for the United Airlines Entertainment Team, shared: “The networking opportunity and sharing of knowledge across industries were invaluable. They help the United team gain insights related to logistics and the location selection process, while exposing customers to United’s International Polaris Business Class experience.”
- Producer Perspective: Line Producer Ben Rimmer highlighted the impact of personal airline representation: “I want to use United Airlines because of the way Lisa has looked after us… To have someone on the inside who is a point person that takes care of everything is quite different and why we’re really delighted.”
Hotels & Luxury Accommodations
Film crews have non-standard requirements, including 24-hour meal services, flexible check-in/check-out times, block bookings, night-shift sleeping environments, and high security for high-profile talent.
- Talent Comfort & Safety: Kelly Mendelsohn, EVP of Production at Revelations Entertainment, emphasized: “I would bring Morgan [Freeman] here. That’s another part of working with celebrities. It’s comfortable, it’s safe. I can see him in the hotels and restaurants.”
- Above-the-Line Feasibility: Sabine Schulmeyer (Location Manager, LMGI) observed in Madeira: “You don’t have to worry about accommodations for directors, DOPs, even A-cast… everybody above the line you could easily accommodate here. Hotel, food, bars—that’s all a no-brainer.”
- Flexibility & Tailored Services: Producer Ben Rimmer noted, “The Hilton chain… I’ve been really impressed by them. They’d be very flexible with the particulars of film crews, all our mad requests, like needing to sleep between eight in the morning and six at night.”
- Partner Endorsements: Hospitality partners such as Meliá Hotels and JW Marriott (Santo Mauro in Madrid) highlighted the mutual business value. Carmen Lerma of Meliá noted, “This FAM trip was a great opportunity to develop new business with the specialized sector that is filmmaking… showing our capacity to house an entire production team on site.” Bárbara Ramallo, Sales Manager at JW Marriott Madrid, added: “It was absolutely incredible to give these talented producers the opportunity to experience our newly opened Madrid hotel firsthand.”
3. High-ROI Engagement for Film Commissions and DMOs
For regional Film Offices and Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), hosting active producers through a PSN FAM trip offers a targeted, high-return alternative to traditional advertising. It converts curiosity into active production pipelines by removing uncertainty and establishing direct relationships.
Industry decision-makers affirm the efficiency of this approach:
“It’s really smart. You’re taking it down to another level… instead of just saying ‘here are the places you can shoot’, no—these are the people, and now that you know them, you know whom to call and how it works.”
— Debbie Liebling, Executive Producer & Former Studio Executive (South Park, Borat)
“It’s a shortcut. Now we know whom to approach. There’s a personal, 1-to-1 connection… It is so useful to have that sort of personal relationship with the film commission people.”
— Nigel Wooll, Producer (Tár, G.I. Jane)
“If you say Colombia, someone who doesn’t know might go, ‘Colombia, are you kidding?’ Having been here, you can just dispel all the ignorance… You sense a magic about them, a beauty about the people, and it’s very good to have got rid of fear and just be educated.”
— Ben Rimmer, Line Producer
“There’s no better way to put our seaside filming facilities on the world map than by receiving top-tier film industry professionals to learn firsthand about the dimensions and possibilities of Ciudad de la Luz—the only facilities in Europe that allow indoor, outdoor, and aquatic filming in the same area.”
— Fermin Crespo, CEO of Ciudad de la Luz Studios
4. The Long-Tail Tourism Multiplier & Screen Tourism Impact
The economic value of a FAM trip extends far beyond initial production expenditures. When filmmakers experience a country firsthand, that lived experience informs script development, sparking storylines that showcase regional culture to global audiences and driving sustainable screen tourism for decades.
- Informing Creative Choices & Scripting: Melvin Mar explained, “You’re much more focused on the how-to of all of it… Seeing if it can double for something else, or the inspiration of a new idea that is specific to here.” Executive Producer Alex Boden added, “You’re ultimately going to be looking at scripts with fresh eyes and thinking about the places that you know, and Spain is right at the top of that list.”
- Unlocking Immediate Budgets: Experience turns hesitation into greenlights. Kelly Mendelsohn shared: “I have two studios that suggested Spain. We pushed back because I had no information, so we budgeted for New Mexico. Now, being here and seeing the infrastructure, I can confidently say, ‘yes, we can do this.’ It’s very beneficial to have boots-on-the-ground experience.”
- Knowledge Sharing Across Studio Networks: Participants act as ambassadors upon returning to their studios. An HBO production executive noted after visiting Spain: “I’m going back and presenting this trip to over a hundred production people at HBO next week… I can then share all my files with them.” Similarly, AppleTV+ LATAM executive Carolina Christ concluded: “I’m excited about how I can share Colombia with other production executives… To show them what’s been done here on a backlot for half a million dollars and see their reaction: ‘Oh my God, that’s amazing.’ That impression makes them push more for the country.”
5. Frequently Asked Questions
What is a PSN Filmmaker FAM Trip?
A PSN Filmmaker Familiarization (FAM) Trip is an intensive, curated working tour that brings senior physical production executives, line producers, and location managers directly to host destinations. Participants evaluate local studio infrastructure, film incentives, crew capacity, and location doubling potential while building direct relationships with vetted service providers and travel sponsors.
How do FAM trips benefit travel partners like airlines and hotels?
Film productions bring high-volume, long-stay travel business, often during off-peak times. Sponsoring a PSN FAM trip places airlines, charter services, and hotel chains directly in front of the executives who make key vendor decisions for multi-million dollar production budgets.
Why are FAM trips more effective for Film Commissions than standard advertising?
FAM trips offer direct, 1-on-1 access to decision-makers actively developing projects. Experiencing a region firsthand dispels safety or infrastructure misconceptions, accelerates production feasibility assessments, and creates long-term personal trust between producers and local film commissions.
How does firsthand filmmaker experience drive screen tourism?
When producers visit a destination, they gain creative inspiration that translates into screenplays and visual backdrops. Once broadcast globally, these projects attract international tourists, generating long-term economic returns and sustained destination awareness.
6. Stakeholder Value Summary Checklist
For an up-close look at individual filmmaker FAM trips carried out by PSN you may click on these links:
