Long ago, a group of explorers looking for adventure, riches, and a new way of life settled the Carolina coast. A party returned home to report their exploits to the king and procure supplies. Upon their return from the continent, they were blown southward by prevailing northeasterly winds. Running out of food and thinking they were nearing their settlement, they decided to sail into a nearby safe harbor. Enchanted by its beauty, they sailed around a peninsula lush with equatorial palmettos and ancient oaks which ended at a white gleaming point created by mineral-rich oyster banks. Mesmerized and becoming aware they were lost, they continued travelling upriver and eased into a heavily-wooded tidal creek that would conceal them from French soldiers and Spanish warships. Heartened by the great fortune of happening upon this fertile, almost tropical land surrounded by fish-laden rivers and forests teeming with wildlife, the explorers were astounded to be greeted by a Native American King, the Cacque’ of Kiawah, who greeted them with such warmth that they decided that day in 1669 to abandon their original settlement and move to Kiawah, now known as Charleston. Today, the stunning lands, histories, cultures, and structures of the South Carolina coast are among the richest on earth, just as they were in the mid-1700’s when King Louis of France kept hearing accounts of wealthy Americans from a land called Edisto in Carolina, who were buying all of the finest wares in Paris to decorate their Charleston mansions and island plantations. Louis learned that they had made great fortunes from Sea Island Cotton and Carolina Gold, the finest rice in the world. Intrigued, Louis invited them to court. In the following years, friendships, marriages, and economic ties bound France and Carolina together for centuries. The Carolina Gold of today is an economy rooted firmly in the exploitation of the inexhaustible resources of culture, history, ideas, stories, and diligently stewarded natural beauty. Even with the obvious changes created by the progression of over three centuries, much remains the same on the South Carolina coast. Huge tracts of coastal delta land are forever protected in the three regions fronting the Atlantic Ocean. Preservation of nature, history, and appropriate development has exploded the tourist, amusement, entertainment, and retirement industry from Hilton Head to historic Beaufort and Charleston to the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach - and created the perfect service economy infrastructure, and scenic diversity for the film industry. When you strip away the "market speak" of the competitive media centers and simply visit the 200 mile South Carolina coast, you will experience for yourself why we are second to none in unique and diverse scenery, production support, and arguably the most experienced crew in our region. You will discover that the South Carolina coast is one of the best all around production sites anywhere. Here, like the explorers of old, you will be enchan-ted and shown the great warmth for which the South is famous. You will disco-ver that during your time here you can achieve your dream of an on-budget, on-schedule film with great production value. We urge you to save this - our first annual issue - and future issues as a practical reference for location images and production resources. Finally, we would like to thank the coastal communities and businesses appearing within these pages for their enthusiastic contribution and ongoing support, which make possible our publication. * excerpted with permission from the 1998 SOUTH CAROLINA COAST FILM GUIDE, a joint venture of LOCATION CAROLINA.