Helping with “Killer Diller” leads to honors at state conference.
Helping a production company film a movie in Fayette is not typically a function of the Columbia Convention and Visitors bureau. But when The Missouri Film Commission asked Lorah Steiner, executive director of the local convention and visitors bureau, to help with production, she felt her staff could handle the task.
“We felt more than up for the challenge,” Steiner said. “It was excellent business for the city and the economy.”
Gov. Bob Holden presented Steiner and her colleague Beth Mead, convention sales manager, with the Missouri Cinema Partnership Award on Friday for their work with the production of “Killer Diller,” which was filmed last summer in Fayette and Columbia. Steiner and Mead received the award during the annual Governor’s Business Development Conference.
“For us to get the award out of all the other cities that have hosted productions in Missouri was really an honor,” Steiner said.
The bureau worked with the production for about a year to meet a variety of needs. Along with meeting the requests of the production, Mead said the bureau also tried to make members of the cast and crew feel welcome in their new surroundings.
The Missouri Film Commission helped to select Steiner and Mead for the award, according to Tracey Albertson, Missouri Film Commission communication manager.
“We called on them when the production was needing something,” Albertson said. “They were instrumental in keeping the production happy.”
The bureau helped with a variety of tasks from finding hotel accommodations and office spaces to rentals for prop materials.
“They called us once when they needed a barge they could rent,” Mead said.
That was one of the few requests they were unable to fulfill.