Cathy Anderson, a Stockton, California native, received her BA in Theater Arts and her MA in Telecommunications and Film from San Diego State Unversity. She has 15 years experience in the fields of theater production, directing and acting.
Cathy started at the Film Commission as an intern in 1986. By her second year at the Commission, Cathy increased production dollars spent in the local economy for the print advertising division from less than a half million dollars to $3 million. She was next appointed to head the television division and was responsible for bringing in the producer Stu Segall and his production company. The overall economic impact increased from $14 million to $30 million in one year under Cathy's supervision of the division. In 1997, there were four permanent television series working and living in the San Diego region. Under Cathy's leadership, San Diego has become the third largest television production center in the United States.
In 2000, Cathy formed the San Diego Regional Film Council, made up of community leaders throughout the county with the goal of designing a seamless permit system to attract even more film industry business to San Diego. Cathy was selected as one of the 50 people to watch in 1998 by San Diego Magazine. In 1999 the San Diego Hotel Motel Association awarded their "Gold Key" award to Cathy. She also serves on the Board of the East County Visitors Bureau and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the San Diego Foundation Advisory Board, and the Association of Film Commissions International. She was appointed chair of "Locations Expo 2002," which is an international tradeshow representing worldwide film commissions designed to attract filmakers to locations around the world. Cathy is a member of the San Diego Downtown Rotary Club, and was selected as Woman of the Year by the Irish Congress of Southern California in 2001.
As an independent California non-profit corporation, the San Diego Film Commission is governed by a board of directors. They are exclusively focused on enhancing the entertainment industry localy and marketing the San Diego region as a premier filming destination.
Tourism is a product of filming. When this temporary business impacts a community, visiting crews, talent and producers have to eat, sleep and relax somewhere -- and they do, when they finish filming every day. The Film Commission becomes the concierge to this business giving filmmakers brochures, lists of restaurants, hotels listed on our Web site and other information about entertainment.
The economy is still suffering. Because of the General Motors financial challenges, San Diego hasn't seen any of the usual car commercials. Business is cutting back on advertising so we see fewer commercials being made.
April 30 was like any other day at the Film Commission until Supervising Producer Toby Gorman called from "American Idol."
