Mayor Rob Ford says his jaunt down to Los Angeles was to promote the city’s film industry, but people in the movie business say appearing on late-night TV talk shows does little to bring the Hollywood dollars north.

Greg Nott, Manager of Wallace Film Studios, says Ford has become a joke in the film business.

“Rob Ford bringing major motion pictures to Toronto? I just don’t see it,” he said. “I don’t think he would help us at all.”

Nott, whose studio works mainly on commercials and music videos, says there are many long-standing relationships and sound financial reasons why American films are often shot in Toronto, and the mayor isn’t one of them.

“People in the industry already know where Toronto is,” he said. “They’ve been coming here for years.”

Ford has repeatedly told media during his trip that he’s there to promote Canadian film .

But the person in charge of promoting the film industry here, Donna Zuchlinski, says she was not made aware of his trip and didn’t participate in any way.

Zuchlinski, the Ontario Film Commissioner at Ontario Media Development Corporation, normally heads trips to L.A. with representatives from local film companies. On their last trip in January, they held a panel discussion over lunch and used a trade show format to court major Hollywood studios, she said.

OMDC also maintains a full-time marketing office in L.A. That office also hasn’t been contacted by Ford.

Toronto’s acting film commissioner, Randy McLean, said he learned about Ford’s trip at the same time as this information became public through the media, but wasn’t involved in any arrangements for the mayor.

“The mayor is the city’s official representative. Everywhere he goes — and he goes to hundreds of events — he’s always promoting. If he’s in L.A. then promoting the film and television industry is a given,” he said.

Ford’s trip comes at a time when the city’s film industry is booming. Figures released Monday morning show that more than $1 billion was spent on film productions in the province for the past three years running.

The 2013 total of $1.14 billion represents a 71 per cent increase in film budgets over 2008, though a small decrease from 2012’s record total of $1.27 billion.

Al Mitchell, a TV veteran who now works in film post-production, says Ford’s trip is a non-factor.

“I don’t think that the professional industry is going to pay any attention whatsoever. It has a lot to do with tax credits and personal contacts. I don’t think the mayor is going to have one iota of difference,” he said. “He should have taken the (OMDC) with him and a whole entourage, not just gone down on his own to appear on a TV show.”

Tom Bjelic, of Urban Post Production, says any attempt to promote the film industry in L.A. is a good thing, but he would have liked to see more serious industry players accompany the mayor south.

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“It’s a complex business and I’m sure Mr. Ford has the best intentions,” Bjelic wrote. “I would just hope there are a few industry representatives along to make sure it’s clear what the benefits are of shooting in Toronto.”

Ford has all but ensured at least one movie will be made. The rights to Star reporter Robyn Doolittle’s book on Ford, Crazy Town , were purchased by two producers last month.

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