Such a schedule is nothing new for von der Esch, Director of the Utah Office of Tourism. She never stops moving, and she loves to talk about her adopted state, something she's been doing for more than 20 years since she was named Director of the Utah Film Commission. Promoting Utah is in her blood.
"I was actually asked to be the acting director here prior to the Huntsman administration," she says. "Knowing that there was an election just ahead, I said, 'Look, I'm happy to go up to act as deputy director, but I want to continue working as film commissioner,' because I was perfectly happy in that position. I love the film industry, but I love the state, too."
Once Huntsman took office, he asked von der Esch to keep the position permanently, and the Utah Film Commission now functions as part of her department in the governor's overhaul of the way travel and tourism is promoted in Utah. No one would seem more qualified to promote Utah than von der Esch, who admits she has probably "driven every road and seen the beauty of the state from about every location standpoint imaginable" in two decades of working with movie and TV producers.
There was a time when Utah was a hotbed for motion pictures, but mainly just the southeast part of the state. The red rock canyons and landscapes near Moab were backdrops and locations for many movie and TV westerns. But as that genre of filmmaking died off, so did use of the state - until 1984. That's when "Footloose" came a callin'.
"'Footloose' got us back into the game," von der Esch recalls of the Kevin Bacon movie that was filmed entirely in Utah County. "That, and 'Grizzly Adams,' the entire Sun Classic film era, actually. With 'Footloose,' the producers were only going to shoot exteriors here, but ended up staying for weeks and used Utah crew and extras from the community. The scenery and the quality of our crewmembers here really blew them away. It's been strong ever since."
The CBS-TV series filmed "Touched by an Angel" in Salt Lake City for nine seasons, and "Promised Land" for three. The WB network's "Everwood" is in its third season, filming completely in Utah. And Disney films an average of two TV movies a year here for its Disney Channel.
Von der Esch points to the recently released Anthony Hopkins' film, "The World's Fastest Indian," as an example of how Hollywood filmmakers have gravitated to Utah. "The crew again planned on staying here for just a week, filming on the Bonneville Salt Flats, but ended up staying here for 30 days. They found that we had everything they needed here, from experienced crew members to catering and support services." She says the exteriors in the film highlight Utah's beauty, something she's very excited about.
Leigh von der Esch was born in Pennsylvania and raised in New York and New Jersey. Her father, an aerospace engineer, accepted a job at Thiokol and the family moved here in the 1960s. They later moved again, but Leigh returned to attend the University of Utah. After graduating, she worked out of state before coming back to the University of Utah for post-graduate work.
"I had an Eastman Kodak childhood," she recalls. "Growing up in Brigham City as I did, like those who've lived anywhere else in the state, I saw so many wonderful towns here, which is why when I finished high school in southern California, I came back here for college. I worked in Washington, D.C., for three years, but missed the open spaces of the west. I missed what director John Ford used to refer to - the West that drove the narrative in his films, that which makes you want to keep searching, seeking, reaching out and touching all you see around you. I can remember scouting locations with an English producer years ago who loved John Ford. And he kept saying to me, 'I can't believe it's this green and red and beautiful.' It's such an easy state to fall in love with."
Though filmmaking is a passion, so, too, is her new role of promoting tourism. And since the 2002 Winter Olympic games, tourism has become a priority for others in the state as well. Last year, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 1002, allocating $10 million this fiscal year and several million more next year to sell the state to potential tourists. Since last fall, the tourism office has been developing a "branding" campaign for Utah, a slogan for which should be announced the first part of this month (March). That brand is the result of an aggressive fact-finding effort by von der Esch and her office.
"What we did was take a 14-city tour of the state, to talk to our tourism partners about what they thought the essence of Utah was," she says. "We also wanted to find out what they felt would work for them, within their limited budgets - what they wanted their clients to hear about the state. And it was exciting. We realized that there wasn't a single slogan that would allow us in words to tell all the advantages of the state, but we're focusing on the essence of Utah, the quote that visitors will mark and remember."
Von der Esch points out that tourism is indeed on the rise. Last year, travelers spent $5.45 billion in the state, almost a 10 percent increase from 2004. Traveler spending was estimated to have generated $433 million in state and local tax revenues, which works out to about $494 per Utah housing unit, up 6.9 percent from the year before. And non-resident tourism arrivals increased to 18.2 million visitors. Those numbers meant more than 119,999 Utah jobs in travel and tourism-related industries. Leading the way in destinations - our state's national parks, where 5.3 million recreation visits were made last year, in addition to 5 million to Utah's seven national monuments, two national recreation areas and one national historic site. There were 22.8 million vehicles crossing Utah state lines last year, and 22.6 million passengers arrived at the Salt Lake City International Airport, an increase of 22.8 percent over 2004. Those figures help explain part of the state's $1 billion surplus in revenues which lawmakers have been figuring ways to spend next fiscal year during this year's legislative session.
The goal of the new brand campaign is to build awareness in the minds of travelers about Utah, and to make sure they get the correct impressions of the state.
"It's really both areas in our marketing," von der Esch says. "You can spend literally all of your money in one area or the other, but it really needs to be in both. I'm extremely grateful that Gov. Huntsman and the legislature gave us this money. In the past, we had a budget of about $900,000 for the entire state. That was equal to the marketing budget of the city of Vail, Colorado." Overcoming perceptions is made easier when national publications help. For instance, Ski Magazine has called Deer Valley the nation's number one resort. And Wine Spectator Magazine said the best restaurant in North America for wine lovers is the Blue Boar Inn in Midway.
Is there a key selling point of Utah? "There's so many," von der Esch smiles and says. "I think to begin with, our iconic national parks. And our state parks - I'd put them up against other state's national parks. The golfing, the fly fishing, there's so much we have not fully capitalized on. If you want a two-week fly fishing vacation, or a two-season vacation where you can ski and golf the same day, we're the place. For the international traveler, and they get a lot more time off than Americans, the state is a treasure. I think the accessibility of all of our venues is amazing. I used to love skiing in California, but it is literally quicker for me to fly to Salt Lake and then get to the resorts than it was for me to drive to resorts from my home in California. It makes a believer out of you when you come here."
She also feels the state's arts and culture area can be expanded. "We still have tickets left for performances by our symphony and ballet. We have tickets to be sold for the Utah Shakespearean Festival and the American Heritage Festival. We can do a better job of selling those cultural experiences."
Thinking of the potential benefits for the state, she says, "When you talk about the amount in tax relief that tourism and filmmaking bring us, it's significant. If we can get that $5 billion figure up to $7 billion, that's about $600 per household in tax relief. Then, you're talking about something that truly impacts everyone. It can improve our education system and take care of other budgets in different ways."
Perhaps more than anything else, von der Esch also credits the people of Utah who have proven, through the film industry, the 2002 Olympics and many other activities, that they are among the friendliest and most helpful in the world.
"I had two visitors from the East Coast that I took to southern Utah a few months ago," she recalls. "We were in Washington County, and both of these women enjoy a cup of coffee each morning. They wondered if that would be a problem, given the state's reputation for having a lot of non-coffee drinkers. The woman at the front desk couldn't have been more helpful. She said, 'I don't drink it myself, but we have the best and most expensive expresso machine back here, and if you call me before you leave your room, I'll have it ready for you when you get down here to the lobby.' And that's the kind of thing, the kind of experience visitors remember. They love the people here, the friendliness of Utahns. And there's something very important about the humanity aspect to everyone who comes, whether they are filmmakers or families."
If Leigh von der Esch has her way, many of both will discover that this truly is the place.
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