Poconos native Ralph Lucchese sees untapped film potential in the Pocono Mountains even after experiencing the glamor of Hollywood and the film industry.
“It’s one of those areas where, unless you leave, you don’t know what you’re missing,” Lucchese said. “So it took me failing out of two colleges, to join the military, to move to California and a pandemic to realize how much I needed to be back home in the Poconos.”
Lucchese’s background in the film industry and love for the Pocono Mountains inspired the newly launched Sports, Entertainment and Film Commission in the region. The commission covers the four counties of the Poconos: Wayne, Pike, Monroe and Carbon.
He said his attitude in this endeavor is, “They can do it. Why can’t we do it?”, citing the creative potential of the Poconos.
The commission includes each county chair: Lucchese; Chris Barrett, president and CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau; Ben May, Pocono Raceway president; and John Oakes, Poconos Park president and CEO.
They aim to draw in production and film companies to shoot on location in the Poconos and want to highlight the benefits of the region as a filming destination.
“The region has a lot of advantages for filmmakers; its natural beauty, its small towns,” Barrett said. “It’s perfectly positioned to host those types of things.”
After two failed attempts at college, Lucchese served in the military. When he returned, an invitation to apply to the Los Angeles Film School was waiting in his email. He took the leap, went to film school in LA, and began his film career on the West Coast.
He joined the production crew for acclaimed TV shows like CBS’s S.W.A.T. and ABC’s 9-1-1.
However, he realized the sense of community in the Poconos was a way of life he was missing while in California.
“So getting a community on board that wants film here, that understands the value of film, it checks off so many boxes,” Lucchese said. “Why not cater to these people? Why not help these people do this? Because it’s only going to help their businesses thrive and grow.”
Barrett highlighted the region’s proximity to large metropolitan areas as another draw.
“We’re very close to New York City and Philadelphia,” he said. “So if something’s being shot [there], and they’re looking for a small town scene or something in the country, we’d be perfectly positioned to do that.”
The commission’s website also boasts a state tax credit for film through the Department of Community and Economic Development. According to the website, “Pennsylvania offers a 25% tax credit to films that spend at least 60% of their total production within the Commonwealth.”
To draw in potential clients, the commission is compiling resources for film companies to show them why the Poconos is the best place to meet their needs.
“One of the key things we’re developing is to have a quick list of services that a filmmaker could tap into once they come to the area,” Barrett said. “With a potential small town, can the streets be shut down? Are there catering services that are very close? Do they have access to trains? All those types of things, and a list of property availability that a filmmaker can access fairly easily to decide whether they want to shoot here or not.”
Barrett thinks the commission can bring economic opportunity to the continuously developing area.
“The process itself creates jobs, creates economic benefits, but then over time, if whatever is shot here is played, it becomes popular,” Barrett said. “Then, that could help actually expose the region, nationally and internationally.”
Lucchese said he wants to create jobs in the region so creative locals do not have to move away from family and friends to follow their dreams.
“Places like LA or even New York, they’re transplant cities,” Lucchese said. “The best in the world get picked up and thrown into a city. Come to find out, there’s creative people in the Poconos that are doing what I’m doing across the board. If people are leaving here to go other places for work, why not create jobs and opportunities for them in the area at which they live in, and give them that opportunity?”
Moving forward, the commission is excited to start drawing in potential films and TV shows. While they haven’t had any takers since their launch in early July, they have already had several inquiries.
“We do know that we are getting inquiries, which is a good thing,” Barrett said. “Now, will they come to fruition? Who knows? But we’re developing the infrastructure to try to make that come to fruition.”
Lucchese said there are a lot of untold stories in the region and urged locals to engage with the commission, saying, “If you have a script, send it.”
