Written by new-contact on Sep 18, 2013. Posted in On Location

HBO comedy series Looking films on location in San Francisco

New HBO comedy series Looking is filming on location in San Francisco. The show will follow the lives of three gay men and is filming a full season after shooting the pilot in the California city in April this year.

Looking has secured studio and office space in San Francisco’s Mission District and the production is expected to spend around USD2 million filming on location over the next couple of months.

“Looking is as much about San Francisco as it is about the characters inhabiting the show,” said Michael Lombardo, HBO’s President of Programming: “We are thrilled to be shooting in the city.”

“I am thrilled to have HBO return to San Francisco,” said Edwin Lee, Mayor of San Francisco: “Our Scene in San Francisco Rebate provides incentives for production companies to film in our city, while providing jobs and enhancing our local economy. Productions like this help showcase our world-class city.”

The Scene in San Francisco programme provides a rebate of up to USD600,000 to help cover payroll taxes and city fees. In addition, the programme now provides rent credits to help productions lease city buildings for use as studio and production space. This is especially important given that San Francisco lacks purpose-built studios facilities, which combined with California’s limited state filming incentive only serves to reduce its production appeal.

Looking is as much about San Francisco as it is about the characters inhabiting the show. We are thrilled to be shooting in the city.

Michael Lombardo, HBO President of Programming

Authorities will be hoping that Looking gives San Francisco a production boost. Recent HBO television feature Hemingway & Gellhorn filmed entirely in the city and doubled it for locations around the world, whereas the short-lived TV drama Alcatraz – focussing on the famous island prison in San Francisco Bay – was filmed mostly in Vancouver.

(Photo: Daniel Schwen)