Director and Sacramento native brings business to city by filming next movie in hometown
SACRAMENTO – A director and Sacramento native is transforming several businesses into scenes for the silver screen as he seeks to turn more Hollywood attention to Sacramento.
Nick Leisure turned Del Paso Boulevard's Sammy's Restaurant into a Nashville diner for his new movie that just started filming.
"Within Sacramento, just the landscape of Sacramento, I feel like has so many different neighborhoods that can be anything, right?" Leisure said.
The movie, a thriller called "The Last Bride," is the latest he's shot in Sacramento as he tries to bring more business to the city.
"For me, shooting in Sacramento is partially, it's my hometown and then also, because of my network, because I did grow up here," Leisure said.
The movie follows a high-profile fallout with Sacramento's film commissioner spearheaded by Leisure earlier this year, alleging the movies were difficult to make here.
"I haven't really dealt with the commissioner in that way I know my producers have gone to pay for permits," Leisure said.
Leisure has also proposed building a movie studio on the grounds of Cal Expo, called Hollywood North Studios.
"It's a process and we're still working on it," Leisure said.
Movie making can be a money maker for local cities. Leisure's productions have up to 50 crew members including hotel rooms, Airbnb's, transportation and catering.
"A lot of people have left the state already, and even studios have been building out of the country now," Leisure said.
He's creating big-screen movie magic in his own backyard. This local director seeking to keep Hollywood dreams a reality in Sacramento.
Leisure says he has two more weeks of filming for this particular movie and then he has several more he is trying to line up here next year.
