The Story North Carolina is Ready To Tell

A Television Production That Serves the State — and Why the Moment Is Now

After years of transition, North Carolina is making a measured return to film production investment.

With the state’s recent announcement of expanded film grants supporting productions shooting in North Carolina in late 2025, a clear signal has been sent: the door is open. Not just for blockbusters, but for meaningful, place-based storytelling that reflects who we are now — culturally, environmentally, and creatively.

The French Broad Revival is exactly that kind of project.

This project is not just a television series. It’s a love letter, a reckoning, and a revival story rooted in Asheville — a city already known worldwide, yet still untapped on television.

Asheville: From Bucket-List Travel to the Screen It Deserves

Asheville has long been celebrated as one of America’s most beloved destinations. Named repeatedly by Travel + Leisure, Forbes, The New York Times, and CNN, the city is recognized for its food, arts scene, mountain culture, and fiercely independent spirit.

In its “52 Places to Go in 2025” feature, The New York Times cited “Asheville’s resilient spirit and ever-evolving cultural landscape,” highlighting the city’s remarkable comeback following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and inviting travelers to “plan a return trip with heart.”

Other recent distinctions include:

Top 10 Best Cities in the U.S. for 2025 — Travel + Leisure
Best U.S. Towns to Visit in 2025 — CNN
12 Best Travel Destinations in the World for 2025 — Forbes Travel Guide

And yet, despite this global visibility, Asheville has never been fully realized as a dramatic television setting.

The French Broad Revival changes that.

It brings Asheville’s River Arts District, its working artists, its riverside bars, its churches, hollers, and hills — all of it — to the screen in a way that feels authentic, lived-in, and cinematic.

What Happens After the Water Recedes: A Recovery Story

Inspired by the real events of Hurricane Helene, the series explores the human and ecological aftermath of a climate-fueled disaster — not just the spectacle of the storm, but the long, uncertain work of rebuilding. What begins as an underestimated storm becomes a reckoning, dredging up old wounds, testing fragile bonds, and forcing this community to face what it means to lose everything - and to begin again.

After a two-part pilot that places every character in survival mode, episode three marks a tonal shift. The story moves from emergency response to renewal — from surviving to staying.

Through intimate, character-driven storytelling, the series examines how environmental crises ripple through every layer of society.

Series Synopsis

At the center are Tallulah Guffey, a metal sculptor still learning how to trust, and Colt McCrae, a soulful musician torn between his roots and his future. Around them orbit a rich ensemble: Ama-li Catawnee, a Cherokee elder who sees the storm through ancestral memory; Elias, her wood sculptor grandson; Camille Redding, a late-blooming painter unveiling her first collection; Jesse, her photojournalist son; Claire, his new wife on the cusp of motherhood; Romy, a flamboyant neon artist with a fierce wit; and Roshanda Covington, a night-shift hospital worker carrying others’ burdens while quietly drowning in her own grief. In Asheville’s Southside, Rev. Lenny Samuels - a fiery preacher and community leader - fights to hold his neighborhood together, transforming disaster into the spark of a broader revival of faith, culture, and community.

As the storm subsides, these characters — scattered across flooded homes and wreckage — are drawn together by loss and resilience. In the days that follow, they face not only the collapse of their community but the environmental fallout left behind. The French Broad Revival is not only about a city rebuilding after disaster; it’s about people discovering that healing the land and healing themselves are part of the same work — and that home isn’t just a place on a map, but something we create together when everything else has been washed away.

An Economic and Cultural Opportunity for North Carolina

In 2024, visitors spent a record-breaking $36.7 billion in North Carolina, including a 16.5% increase in international tourism, now totaling $1.2 billion.

Even after Hurricane Helene, visitors still contributed $2.65 billion to Asheville’s economy. And with nearly $14 million invested by the state in post-storm tourism campaigns — including messaging like “Rediscover the Unforgettable” — the region is poised for renewed attention.

A series like The French Broad Revival doesn’t just reflect that recovery — it amplifies it. Television has a proven track record of driving cultural tourism, long-term economic impact, and global visibility.

This is a chance for North Carolina to support a project that aligns creative ambition with economic strategy and environmental consciousness.

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