New E. Hampton office pitches to TV, film

It might seem odd that East Hampton has to create a media advisory committee to bring the town to the attention of movie producers -- it is, after all, Steven Spielberg's backyard -- but that is exactly what it has done.

It also has launched a website -- filmthehamptons.org -- to spread the word to potential television and film makers that its beaches, woods, farms and mansions are available. And its world-class caterers, too.

Suffolk County also has a film commission, but its director, Michelle Isabelle-Stark, said a town agency is a good complement that can reach out to the people who start the process of deciding where to make movies.

Big-name producers "are not the people who actually find the locations," she said. "I had some people from Europe looking for the ocean . . . and they found a hotel in Hampton Bays to film."

And, she adds, each town in Suffolk must approve its own film permits. The county has no direct role in that.

Stark said it was particularly appropriate for East Hampton to reach out because there is a vague belief among some in the industry that the town does not open its arms to film crews.

That's just the impression the new Media Advisory Committee is trying to correct. "We're reaching out to show people what we have here . . . We want to make it easier for film crews to come out, to make the permit process easier, to give a better experience for everyone involved," said Soozy Miller, spokeswoman for the committee.

The website includes a link to the town clerk's office, a copy of the one-page application for filming, two pages of instructions on how to fill it out, and an agreement to hold the town harmless for any liability caused by its issuing the permit.