SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif- Lights, camera, action! The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is kicking off and it could be a bright way to roll in some extra cash for the local economy. Part of the event is really to get people in to SLO County and show it off. With the festival growing more and more people from out town are coming in, and people who live and work here are benefiting.
Josh Ekblom holds two jobs, he's a part-time server at the Copper Cafe and during this time of year the amount of customers walking through the door just isn't making the cut. "This is a slower time of year here so we come to work, its kind of like we walk around and we figure out if its too slow that we will drop somebody and we won't work as much," said Ekblom, a server at Copper Cafe.
When 7-thousand people roll into town to catch the flicks that changes. This is the second year in a row Rosemary and Michael Spencer, from Orange County, are attending the film festival. People coming from out of town coming to the festival has grown by nearly 30 percent since 2006. "There's so many things to do in the area, we love the beach and wine tasting, you know the town itself is great," said Rosemary Spencer, a SLO International Film Festival goer.
That's kind of the plan said Festival Director Wendy Eidson, to get people to know and love the central coast. That plan is working, attendance at the festival has nearly doubled in the last two years.
"It really has kind of blossomed into a county wide event, it used to be happening in just downtown San Luis Obispo but now we have really made the effort to take the festival to Paso Robles, Atascadero, Shell beach, Avila beach and also in San Luis," said Wendy Eidson, the Festival Director.
So for a local server like Ekblom, its not a red carpet salary but it sure helps. "It's a little more in the pocket, a little more extra spending money," said Ekbolm.
slofilmfest.org
