RALEIGH, N.C. — Friday morning, March 30, NBC’s TODAY Show featured a segment about North Carolina film locations used in the blockbuster movie “The Hunger Games.” The 3:44-minute segment featuring North Carolina reached a national audience of 12,206,542, generating $538,268 in advertising equivalency on America’s top-rated morning show program.
TODAY correspondent Janet Shamlian opened the segment by reminding viewers that the film was shot entirely in North Carolina. “You know, it didn’t take long, for the fans who can’t get enough of ‘The Hunger Games’ are flocking to the sites where the movie was filmed in search of a little adventure themselves – all of them are here in North Carolina,” she said.
Shamlian interviewed Assistant Secretary of Tourism Lynn Minges about the film’s positive impact on the state’s economy. The segment profiles Hildebran (Henry River Village) as the movie’s District 12, the newly created “Hunger Games” fan tour, residents of the town, extras from the movie, how North Carolina is capitalizing on the film and mentions possibility of the full trilogy being filmed in the state. “The odds are ever in our favor here in North Carolina,” Minges said. Shamlian concluded the spot by broadcasting live from DuPont State Recreational Forest, located between Brevard and Hendersonville.
The Tourism Office’s PR team pitched the story idea to the show’s producers and then partnered with tourism officials in several counties to assist the five-person TODAY crew as they spent three days filming in the state. PR Manager Margo Metzger guided the crew and worked closely with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, Cleveland County Chamber, Uptown Shelby Association, Burke County Travel & Tourism, and the Transylvania County TDA to facilitate the story.
“The Hunger Games” 4-Day Itinerary has the most downloaded itinerary on VisitNC.com for March and “Hunger Games” has been the top internal search request on the site with more than triple next closest search. Visitors can discover complete information on visiting sites related to the Hunger Games at VisitNC.com/hungergames. Behind-the-scenes photos of the taping are available upon request.