GREENVILLE — It’s a moment that sticks with him.
Brenton Earley was filming near the small community of Converse in rural eastern Spartanburg County when a woman passed by, minding her own business. She had headphones on and a child sitting in her stroller. But when she saw the commotion, she paused.
“What’s going on here?” she asked. Police had blocked off the road, and their lights were spinning.
“They’re filming a movie,” one of the officers standing next to Earley said.
“Her reaction was beautiful,” Earley said. “She goes, ‘That’s freaking awesome,’ put her headphones back on and kept walking, smiling.”
As simple as it was, Earley said he won’t forget the moment.
“The locals bring an energy that reminds you why you got into filmmaking,” he said. “Because they don’t understand it, they don’t know it, they’re not jaded, and they get excited and they want to help.”
The Upstate isn’t known as a hotspot for filmmaking, but state and local officials are trying to change that.
In the past year, at least four films have shot in the Upstate, according to the S.C. Film Commission, with actors like Alec Baldwin, Ed Helms and Jonathan Majors.
While it’s still early, that activity — rarely seen in previous years — is a good sign, said Matt Storm, director of the Film Commission.
“I can tell you I think it’s a sign of things to come, honestly,” Storm said. “I’m not trying to be overly emphatic about it, but I do think that there’s a lot of interest in the Upstate right now for filming.”
The push comes as production companies look outside major film hubs in Georgia and California, seeking lower wages and greater incentives. In South Carolina, it’s usually the Lowcountry that steals the spotlight with productions like “Outer Banks” and “The Righteous Gemstones.”
Storm said the Film Commission and the Upstate have long wanted to encourage more filming in the region. He credited local film producers who have spurred interest in the area and a new law passed in 2025 that gives smaller productions — spending between $250,000 and $1 million — a 25 percent rebate to film in South Carolina.
The goal is to create a lasting industry that grows the economy and generates interest in the area, Storm said. The Film Commission estimates that for every $1 incentivizing a production company to film in the area, the company spends $4 in the community.
“It really does provide a boost to that local economy,” said Lindsey Shaffer, tourism specialist at the city of Greer.
When crews filmed “Panic Button” in Greer this summer, they stayed in local hotels and ate at local restaurants, Shaffer said. When they needed materials for the set, they shopped at local hardware stores.
For filmmakers, the Upstate offers a fresh environment to work in.
Earley, who’s based in Los Angeles, had filmed in the Midlands and near Rock Hill in years past, but when scouting for his latest film, he struggled to find a suitable spot. He was looking for an “all-America, blue-collar, slice of America pie location,” he said.
Then, at the urging of the Film Commission, he visited Spartanburg.
“When we got into Spartanburg, it just hit us. Like, oh my gosh, this place is perfect,” he said.
Since then, Earley set up shop in the city, partnering with Spartanburg Community College to open a production and post-production studio. He now spends one to two weeks a month in the Upstate, coining the phrase “Spartanwood.”
He’s not alone. Winter State Entertainment also recently moved to Greenville, and Clemson University expanded its film program to offer more hands-on opportunities for students.
The area has a lot of advantages, Earley said. There is a diversity of landscapes — city streets, country houses, mountain views. It’s located near existing film hotspots like Atlanta and Charlotte. Yet it’s less expensive and less busy.
Perhaps most importantly, the community is still enthusiastic about seeing movies made in their hometowns — not necessarily the case in metros where a film crew shutting down a street for a day is nothing but a nuisance.
Hopefully, Earley said, the growth in filming will reflect what South Carolina is really like and allow audiences to “see Carolina for Carolina” — not set something in the state and then film it in Georgia.
“We’re not trying to bring Hollywood to Spartanburg,” he said. “I’m trying to bring Spartanburg to Hollywood.”
Shaffer, who grew up in the Greer area, said it’s still exciting to walk down the street and stumble across a movie being made.
“Panic Button” filmed in downtown Greer, where locals got a front seat. Business owners watched from their doorways, and residents performed as extras.
“I think it’d be quite the experience for someone growing up here to one day see Greer on the big screen,” Shaffer said.