Firestone Tires commercial shot in downtown Walla Walla feeds local economy

Sleek cars with brand new tires cruised up and down the soaked roadway on Main Street in Walla Walla, Wednesday, June 3, as downtown Walla Walla took center stage in a national Firestone Tires commercial.

Walla Walla played the part of "Anytown, USA," a city that looks like it could be anywhere in country. It won't be identified as Walla Walla in the commercial, producers said.

The film production company, Motion State Productions, was recruited here by Arlene Alen, the president and CEO of the Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce and Film Walla Walla Valley.

"We've known Arlene for two years now, and we've been waiting for the right project to come along," Motion State Productions co-founder Amber Koniniec said. "The timing was right. And the buildings here, and the brick, everything was right to speak to the Firestone brand."

Alen said the commercial was economically beneficial to Walla Walla.

While Alen did not yet have a total estimate of the money coming into the area, she said between hotels, restaurants, wineries and other businesses, it was a substantial amount.

"For this shot, which is a pretty large commercial, they brought in 75 people from all over the state and from outside the state," Alen said. "They bought 200 hotel nights for all these people. They're staying at three different hotels. They all have to eat and drink. So, the economics of this are huge. It's a huge impact for one commercial. Imagine if you did five of these a year and a small film."

Film Walla Walla Valley is a Chamber of Commerce-led effort to attract commercial and film makers to the Valley.

According to its website, it "aims to transform the Walla Walla Valley into a sought-after destination for filmmakers and producers. With its diverse range of landscapes and settings, the valley provides an ideal canvas for a wide variety of production."

Alen said she is working hard to bring more projects here.

Motion State Productions is a Seattle-based film company.

Owners Corey and Amber Koniniec told Alen on Tuesday that the shoot was going well.

"You guys were thinking you were going to be the beta. You're not the beta, you're the gold standard," Corey told Alen. "Every place we've ever gone to has always been a problem. This has been the best we've ever shot.

On Thursday, June 4, production continued at Pioneer Park and on some county roads.

"Shooting in Walla Walla has been the best experience we've had in 20 years of doing this type of work," Corey said Wednesday. "It's been the best town to shoot, and they've been here with open arms, basically giving us the key to the city."

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