Shreveport-Bossier officials hope for showbiz boost

Bia Roldan

Shreveport-Bossier, LA - Local officials are expecting a showbiz boost for the Shreveport-Bossier Economy with a big budget movie, plus Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, coming to town.

Offices at Millenium Studios have been empty for two and a half years, until now.

The Netflix movie, The Highwaymen will star Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson. They will play Texas Ranger Frank Hamer and ex-partner Maney Gault who came out of retirement to hunt down notorious bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

The movie production brought hundreds of crew members for a two week shoot, reserving 272 hotel rooms in Shreveport-Bossier.

Bossier City Project Coordinator and Film Commissioner, Pam Glorioso says the movie is to bring in at least $500-thousand. Marshall agrees.

"It goes down to the coffee shops, the lumber stores," he said. "They're reaching out to local businesses and using those local assets and that's beneficial for everybody."

With a Netflix movie production in town Glorioso said there may be more movies coming to Shreveport-Bossier.

"It attracts other films, the fact that this film is shooting in Louisiana," Glorioso said.

After a dry spell, Marshall said, there have already been several location scouts considering North Louisiana for future movies.

"There's been a lot more interest in the last few months than there has been in the last few years," said Wade Marshall of Millenium Studios, located in downtown Shreveport.

Once the crew is packed up and gone, Shreveport-Bossier will be waiting for over a hundred Miss Teen USA and Miss USA pageant contestants and staff.

Glorioso said contestants will arrive two weeks before pageant day, May 21.

"They'll be going out in our community doing a lot of location shots with the ladies... anywhere from going to downtown Bossier to Barksdale, to our hospitals," she explained. "We want to showcase what we have in our community. "

The pageant will be broadcasted in 70 countries.

"These girls also lead on to the Miss Universe Pageant, so it's international," Glorioso said. "So, it's great exposure for Shreveport -Bossier."

The spotlight will also shine on Shreveport-Bossier on social media.

Stacy Brown, President of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau said pageant contestants will post a total of about 40-thousand times before the show.

The pageants are expected to bring Shreveport-Bossier at least $5 million in revenue.

https://www.ktbs.com/lifestyles/shreveport-bossier-officials-hope-for-showbiz-boost/article_4668d66a-2c9f-11e8-aca7-fb032112818b.html