FilmL.A. hires new marketing chief

Seeking to bolster its marketing efforts, FilmL.A. Inc. has tapped a veteran communications executive and former mayor of Hermosa Beach to the newly created position of executive vice president.

FilmL.A., the nonprofit group that handles film permits on behalf of the city and the county, said it had hired Art Yoon to foster “positive and productive relationships with government and elected officials, film, television, and commercial producers, and community leaders and organizations,” according to a statement.

Yoon also will help FilmL.A. expand its role, including more aggressively promoting L.A. as a film destination at a time when the region is losing film and television production to cities in other states and countries. L.A. saw an historic drop in production of dramas last year, underscoring the challenges Yoon will face.

“Hollywood is California’s signature industry, and its importance to our region’s economy is unmistakable,” Yoon said in a statement. “When I travel and tell people I am from California, the first question everyone asks is ‘Do you know any stars?’ That tells you how much this industry is a part of our common consciousness. Helping Hollywood stay in Hollywood is a challenge I believe in and welcome.”

Yoon previously worked at Cox Communications, serving a director of public affairs for one of the nation’s largest video and Internet providers. He also has extensive government experience, having served as a member of the City Council and as mayor of Hermosa Beach and as a staffer to three
U.S. congressional representatives and U.S. Sen. John Warner (R-Virginia).

FilmL.A. said Yoon was among more than 150 applicants for the job.

“I am excited about adding Art to our team and know that his experiences and service-oriented nature will make him a valued member of the Los Angeles film community,” FilmL.A. President Paul Audley said in a statement.

Yoon is a Los Angeles native and holds degrees from USC, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown. Art, his wife, Christine, and son, Knox, live in Hermosa Beach.

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