Experience Oxfordshire Cultural Platform shines the spotlight on screen tourism

Businesses and industry leaders from across Oxfordshire’s visitor economy attended Blenheim Palace yesterday for Experience Oxfordshire’s Cultural Platform, an entertaining and insightful “in-conversation” event with Supervising Location Manager, Tony Hood.

Tony Hood is currently working for Netflix on Season 4 of Bridgerton and in a lively interview with Richard Venables, Head of the Oxford office for CBRE, he generously shared a wealth of knowledge and experience with his audience in Blenheim’s highly appropriate and atmospheric Marlborough Room.

Having worked on a vast number of successful TV and film productions at all budget levels including X-Men: First Class and Guy Ritchie’s latest film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Tony Hood has worked with a wide variety of producers and directors providing a creative input to ensure they find the locations needed to fit the brief and ensure their project can be delivered on time and on budget.

In an hour of discussion on subjects ranging from the criteria employed in identifying potential film locations, through to the use of CGI, Tony Hood shared insights and views on working with Oxfordshire’s venues and attractions and offered advice for creating win-win relationships with his sector. He explained how a crew arriving in a destination not only bring the obvious economic benefit through use of 350 hotel beds and general living expenses but are also increasingly relying on local suppliers and resources to support in all aspects of the production.

Life in the film industry is not all glitz and glamour as Tony illustrated with his entertaining tales of the complex logistics of transporting Georgian-frock-clad cast members across rain-soaked fields in winter.

Location Managers liaise with many local agencies to deliver a project and Tony has found working in Oxfordshire to be a positive experience: “In my experience, Oxfordshire as a location with its period venues, beautiful countryside, quintessential English villages and warm hospitality, as well as excellent access routes into and around the county, has much to offer potential film makers. Being here at Blenheim is a great example of how a venue works well and has been successful in securing screen opportunities. It has been a pleasure to be part of the Cultural Platform and support Experience Oxfordshire.”

The national tourism agency, VisitBritain’s latest research shows that 91% of potential visitors surveyed across 20 overseas markets were keen to visit film and TV locations used in filming during their holidays in the UK. In recognition of this valuable opportunity, from early 2025 VisitBritain is rolling out a new marketing campaign, “Starring GREAT Britain” across its major inbound markets. The new campaign showcases locations used in all types of filming with a view to inspiring more visitors to choose Britain, discover more and stay longer.

Hayley Beer-Gamage, Experience Oxfordshire CEO outlining the importance of TV and film to the visitor economy said: “We are delighted that Tony has joined us for our Cultural Platform and highlighted the importance and complexities of ensuring destinations and venues work in the right way to attract new screen opportunities. “Screen tourism” or “set jetting” is recognised as a growing international trend, with increasing numbers of viewers attracted to visit locations featured in film and TV series. Oxfordshire already has a huge number of internationally recognised film and TV locations that attract visitors and at Experience Oxfordshire we are determined that our county will benefit from this drive to encourage visitor spending into local destinations. We will work closely with VisitBritain and our local partners on the upcoming ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign.”

After the interview, Richard Venables MRICS DL, Head of the Oxford office for CBRE concurred: “Oxfordshire has a proud record of hosting film crews. As a county we have long benefitted from the boost to the local economy that film crews bring, in addition to that generated through the county’s exposure to global audiences once the production is shown on screen. It has been a real pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with Tony Hood today and for us all to hear first-hand how his industry relates to the visitor economy.”

Events such as the Cultural Platform rely on local support and this year the headline sponsors were Blenheim Palace and Richardsons Chartered Accountants.

Samantha Vaughan, Head of Commercial Development at Blenheim Palace said: “As a venue which frequently features in TV and film productions I can testify to the power of “screen tourism” in inspiring “set-jetting” visitors. Here at Blenheim we welcome visitors from all over the world, many of whom have been introduced to us via film or a TV show. We’re delighted to have supported this year’s Cultural Platform in our beautiful Marlborough Room and to be able to demonstrate how historic venues can be used for multiple purposes.”

Jemima King, Partner of Richardsons Chartered Accountants said: “As a company whose clients span the breadth of businesses operating in Oxfordshire we are delighted to again support Experience Oxfordshire and sponsor the Cultural Platform which showed the positive impact the film production sector, with its blend of traditional expertise and modern technology, has on the visitor economy. It has been a really interesting, thought-provoking event, with plenty of opportunities to meet and network with local businesses.”

The Cultural Platform was delivered on behalf of the Experience Oxfordshire Charitable Trust as part of the organisation’s ongoing commitment to support culture across the county. It was a sell-out event offering an evening of engaged conversation and networking as well as the exclusive opportunity for guests to ask questions directly to Tony Hood.

 

**ENDS**

NOTES TO EDITORS

Images: available via the following link.

Image 1: Tony Hood, Supervising Location Manager and Richard Venables MRICS DL, Head of the Oxford office for CBRE
Image 2: Tony Hood, Supervising Location Manager and Richard Venables MRICS DL, Head of the Oxford office for CBRE
Image 3: Cultural Platform networking
Image 4: (L to R) Jemima King, Partner, Richardsons Chartered Accountants; Tony Hood, Supervising Location Manager; Hayley Beer-Gamage, Experience Oxfordshire CEO; Richard Venables MRICS DL, Head of the Oxford office for CBRE; and Samantha Vaughan, Head of Commercial Development at Blenheim Palace
Image 5: Samantha Vaughan, Head of Commercial Development at Blenheim Palace

 

Experience Oxfordshire is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) and Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Oxfordshire. It is the trading arm of the parent charity, Experience Oxfordshire Charitable Trust, and is a not-for-profit partnership organisation that is committed to the promotion, management, and development of Oxfordshire as a great destination to live, work, visit and do business. The DMO seeks to improve growth and productivity across Oxfordshire’s visitor economy through the provision of essential business advice and support.

Experience Oxfordshire was one of the first destinations in England to gain LVEP status from national tourist board, VisitEngland. As an LVEP, Experience Oxfordshire is recognised as a high-performing organisation, supporting collaborative working both locally, through its network of partners and those with interest in the visitor economy, and nationally on shared priorities.

Read our Highlights 2023/24 publication here which showcases the impact and reach of the work that Experience Oxfordshire undertakes.

For more information on Experience Oxfordshire go to www.experienceoxfordshire.org/partner or contact partnership@experienceoxfordshire.org

To work with Experience Oxfordshire on marketing campaigns, contact marketing@experienceoxfordshire.org

Media contact: Lesley Wright / press@experienceoxfordshire.org / 01865 686433

You can keep up to date with Experience Oxfordshire’s activity by following:

Facebook – Experience Oxfordshire
Instagram – @experienceoxfordshire
X – @ExperienceOx @ExperienceOxBiz and @ExOxVenues
LinkedIn – Experience Oxfordshire

 

Tony Hood, Supervising Location Manager

Tony Hood has been nominated twice for Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) Awards, in 2022, nominated in Outstanding Locations in a Period Television Series for season 2 of Bridgerton and in 2023, nominated in Outstanding Locations in a Television Serial Program, Anthology, or Limited Series category for Queen Charlotte – A Bridgerton Story.

As a location manager he has worked across all genres of Film and TV alongside outstanding individuals and teams.

Tony’s LinkedIn profile: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tony-hood-a4b62815

 

Richard Venables MRICS DL

Richard is head of the Oxford office for CBRE, global property advisor and has extensive experience advising in the science and technology markets in Oxfordshire. Richard dedicates considerable time and energy to economic and cultural development in Oxfordshire. He was a board member of Experience Oxfordshire (2009-2020), Oxfordshire Youth (2019-2022, where he is now an Ambassador) and Active Oxfordshire (2017-2022, where is now a Patron). He is also a Vice Patron of the Oxford Civic Society, a member of the Oxford City Council Economic Growth Steering Group and Oxford Strategic Partnership and was board member of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (2014-2018). Richard was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire (2016) and was High Sheriff of Oxfordshire (2018/19). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Oxford Brookes University in 2022 for services to economic development and community services.

Richard’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-venables-b3b64b2b

 

Blenheim Palace is home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site boasting a long and diverse history. A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, offering over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland and 90 acres of award-winning Formal Gardens in addition to family focused activities, a varied programme of year-round public events and an excellent meetings and celebratory events offer.

https://www.blenheimpalace.com/

 

Richardsons Chartered Accountants is a firm of chartered accountants and business advisors based in Thame. ICAEW accredited and established for over 30 years, they provide specialist accounting advice for small and medium companies, large corporates, and individuals. Communicating regularly with clients, they like to form a close relationship built on trust. In addition to core services, they specialise in setting up tax-efficient structures for start-ups, and tax planning for existing businesses and individuals. Richardsons work within a variety of sectors and have a strong reputation in dealing with Research & Development Tax Credits and grant audits.

https://www.richardsons-group.co.uk/

 

You can read more on “Screen Tourism” and see VisitBritain’s latest report here: https://www.visitbritain.org/research-insights/screen-tourism