The Florida weather has attracted the first made-for-TV movie filmed in Pinellas County since last year’s back-to-back hurricanes devastated the area, according to producer David Yates.
“To be able to come back and bring the crews back and kind of showcase the area, saying, ‘We’re back, we’re open again,’” he said. “Right now in February, after the hurricanes, perfect timing. We’re glad we can do that.”
Derby Romance is a love story about a man who’s training his horse for the Kentucky Derby and a woman who makes hats for the big race. The movie stars actors Holly Robinson Peete, Ginna Claire Mason, and John Clarence Stewart.
Stewart plays the lead male role, “Christian,” the horse trainer, while Mason plays the lead female role, “Estella,” the hat maker.
“Christian and Stella both have these big dreams that sort of center around the derby,” said Mason. “You sort of see us come together and cheer each other on to the finish line, if you will.”
Yates said while the production should earn film incentives from both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, the reason they chose to shoot in Florida was due to the weather. Producers Yates and Danny Roth needed to depict Churchill Downs in Kentucky during the spring.
“We wanted to film something that was set in Kentucky, but it’s winter in Kentucky and very gray,” said film director Amy Barrett. “So we thought, where can we go where it would be sunny and look like spring?”
This will be the 11th movie Barrett has directed but her first in the Tampa Bay area.
“I had never shot in Florida before,” she said. “I’ve been very pleasantly surprised.”
Yates said the movie could not have been made locally without the Tampa Bay Downs agreeing to let producers use their location to film.
“It’s the only horse racetrack in the area,” he said. “They’ve been great to work with. It portrays Churchill Downs in the film.”
Even though the movie takes place in Kentucky, some scenes have been localized.
“My character, Estella Stone, is from St. Pete, Florida,” said Mason. “So when I make calls to my sister back home on FaceTime or whatever, she’s on the beach. She’s a beach babe.”
Peete said her family has a high profile local tie to the area.
“My brother-in-law is the running backs coach for the Bucs,” she said. “So it’s not my first time here, but it’s my first time working here. And the sunsets have been overwhelmingly beautiful.”
Filming for Derby Romance began on Jan. 27 and will wrap on Valentine’s Day. The movie is expected to be released in April.
