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Utah sees rapid growth in film and television productions

Utah's tree-lined suburbs and sweeping landscapes of red bluffs, deserts and lakes have increasingly dotted the silver screen in recent years, serving as the backdrop for several popular movies and TV shows including "Hereditary," ''Westworld," and the Disney Channel series "Andi Mack."

The Beehive State has seen considerable growth in its television and film productions since 2015, with total dollars spent by productions more than doubling to about $87 million, according to a recent report from the state-sponsored Utah Film Commission.

That growth can be credited to an aggressive strategy by state officials to court bigger production companies and promote scouting locations for TV series that provide more jobs and longer economic investments than movies, said Virginia Peace, the director of the Utah Film Commission.