An Atlanta Insider Talks Marriott’s Mission in the Film and Television Industry

Accommodating and facilitating film and television production requires extreme flexibility and adaptability. In metro Atlanta and around the world, Marriott International plays a critical role in making sure productions succeed, comfortably.

We sat down with Marriott Senior Account Executive for Entertainment, Kurtis Sylvester, to learn what makes the hospitality icon an ideal partner.

Tell us about Marriott’s philosophy on cultivating a home base for the film and entertainment industry.

Sylvester: Marriott’s approach is to align with the film and TV industry. We educate our hotels, colleagues, and associates on what the industry entails, and then our leaders can get their properties aligned and ensuring they’re a comfortable place to do business.

Film contacts feel like they’re understood, and the Marriott team is a trusted partner around the globe. When customers need lodging, we’re nimble.

How does Marriott maneuver to fit the entertainment industry, specifically?

We realize the importance of flexing for an industry that’s risk-averse. And our hotels share a similar philosophy. So we try to, No. 1, understand that film production can’t commit to strong contractual terms. It’s very fluid, and there can be complications in managing a great variety of schedules. So we worked with our hotels to create a letter of intent -- a kind of scaled-down contract for the entertainment industry and for production. So while mitigating loss is always a goal, our approach to film and television production has more cost flexibility. Film and TV seeks this out, and we provide flexibility whenever we can.

Secondarily, we do a company-wide entertainment education week each year in LA, where we invite our hotel teams and teach them how we have an invested stake in entertainment. Our global entertainment team does education panels, for example. And attendees can take the information back to their hotel owners and management, and show them what’s trending in the industry.

We stress getting to know your local market, knowing your film commissioners, and understanding all the details that maximize our partnership. So, this education is a couple of days of very thorough education and training, so hotels can deliver the standard of service Marriott delivers, here in the U.S. and anywhere globally.

What are the key functions of your role, specifically, as Senior Account Executive, Entertainment for Marriott? And what do you enjoy most about it?

I’ve worked in hotels since I was 15, so pretty much my entire life. Key parts of my role include delivering a targeted focus on all components of the film and television industry, music, esports, and making sure everyone in the entertainment industry is aware they have a partner in Marriott.

I show them that we can have strategic conversations and align our goals. So I get out to different markets and events, making sure Marriott is present within the segment--and invested. We do a great deal in the state of Georgia, making it clear that we want to support entertainment and production, and conveying that they can have those conversations with us.

My favorite thing about my role is that I love the entertainment industry. It’s actually shocking that I could find something that incorporates hotels and entertainment. Then, there’s so much excitement in the state of Georgia. It’s fun, and it’s very rewarding to grow those conversations.

While the New York and Los Angeles markets are so accomplished, I love to show that we are here, too, and I joined at a time when the industry was really taking off in Georgia. It’s a very; diverse market that’s loaded with entertainment business, and it’s very rewarding.

I grew up in California, my extended family is there but I moved to Atlanta about four years ago, and I absolutely love it here.

What productions and crews are you currently seeing here in Georgia, if you can share that sensitive information?

I have to be vague and I can’t give legal summaries, but here are some tidbits. From my perspective, we’re seeing general production interest coming back to the Atlanta market. Tyler Perry Studios is still quite active, and then otherwise, there’s a variety of studios and production companies here that are currently working strongly.

In Georgia overall, as well, productions are popping up in Savannah, and Augusta. In the Atlanta area, I’ve noted that Trilith is busy with its production levels, as well.

What do productions tell you about Georgia, our locations, and about doing business in the state?

Georgia is truly a special place, I learn more and more as I travel to different markets. From productions to studio reps, they love working in Georgia because of our locations, which can be the backdrop for anywhere. Midtown can be transformed into the New York skyline, for example, and then we can be out in the country, rurally.

Our Trilith Guesthouse property at Trilith is a good example of all we can offer. And whether it’s Assembly or Lionsgate or anywhere in Georgia, film and entertainment productions can really find a bit of everything they need.

Our locations still surprise people in film production. In Georgia, in general, our Augusta property has a good variety of offerings that appeal to the filmmaking community, and other properties are coming up on people’s radar too.