Location, All I Ever Wanted...

JEFF MONKS IS THE GO-TO GUY FOR FILMMAKERS shooting in South Carolina. Need to close Charleston's commuter-heavy Cooper River Bridge for seven days? No problem. Got to redirect military air base traffic to reduce noise on the set? Piece of cake. Oh, and want to detour hundreds of homeowners around

As director of the South Carolina Film Commission, Monks personally fields every request, large and small, that will keep filmmakers rolling in South Carolina. Their business is good for state and local economies, and Monks wants to keep them coming back.

"Not only are we the sales beacon to bring movie-makers in, but then we switch over to project management," Monks said. "Fortunately we have a team of skilled and creative people. We deal with federal, state, and local governments to create a win-win-win proposition so that everybody walks away happy."

Of course, it takes much more than a willingness to close roads or modify building fronts to bring Hollywood to South Carolina. Economic incentives are as vital to recruiting film and TV business as they are to luring other industries to the state. It's about competition, pure and simple.