Published January 2002

Filming of ‘Ring’ injects money into local economy

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

The November and December filming of DreamWorks Production’s newest movie — “Ring” — in Snohomish County boosted the local economy with a generous slice of the production’s $60 million budget.

Hotels were among those benefiting, including Hawthorn Inn & Suites at Smokey Point in Arlington; the hotel’s restaurant, O’Berg’s; and LePointe Spa, also on the premises.

“The stars (actress Naomi Watts and actor Martin Henderson) were here and the director (Gore Verbinski), the producer, production manager and others. ... That’s meant $30,000 in business for us,” said Susan Bacon, General Manager of the Hawthorn Inn.

With filming in Port Townsend, Bellingham and Snohomish County — from Silvana to Snohomish and Monroe — the film’s stars, executives, managers and crew stayed in seven hotels during their stay in the state but told Bacon the Hawthorn was “our favorite.”

Because of the movie guests, O’Berg’s restaurant reported the number of meal tickets were up 50 percent in November over the prior month, contrary to the expected seasonal decline.

The European-style LePointe Spa even stayed open until midnight, offering in-room massages for the film guests, Bacon said.

Opened just over a year ago, the Hawthorn is still working hard to let people know about all of its services, she said, so marketer Kristina Weise at the Hawthorn began sending free pizzas to the film’s accounting and coordinating offices in Seattle, along with information about the facilities.

“She worked really hard, and we got them here. And they loved it,” Bacon said, expressing surprise and dismay over press reports that overlooked mention of her hotel and reported that the “stars” were staying in Seattle.

Other county businesses benefiting from the presence of Steven Spielberg’s production company have included:

• Martin Lumber, Everett: Last September, after DreamWorks Production chose Everett as its home base for filming “Ring,” crews began buying lumber and other materials to build movie sets, including a bridge and a cabin.
• Lodging was another winning sector of the economy. Along with the Hawthorn, dozens of film crew members stayed at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel ($90,000 revenue for hosting up to 90 crew members), the Inn at Port Gardner (where the film crews boosted business by 30 percent) and the Marina Village Inn, all in Everett.
• Restaurants benefited in various areas of the county, including Willow & Jim’s Country Cafe in Silvana.
• Residents Mark and Susan Winterhalter benefited, providing their 60-acre farm for movie scenes and ending up being hired as wranglers to handle animals at the farm for more film scenes.
• Art Supply Northwest in Everett provided ample amounts of foam board and other supplies for set creation.
• DreamWorks rented 36,000 square feet of space in three warehouses to create sound studios.

The film — a remake of “Ringu,” a 1998 Japanese horror mystery film about a journalist who discovers a videotape whose viewers have all died within seven days — is due for release in August.

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