Council hears heated update on "Born in Denver" film marketing and hotel impacts

Project leads for the documentary "Born in Denver," which the presenters described as "Born in Denver, raised in Pecos," provided a lengthy update on production, promotion and requests tied to hot-tax marketing funds. The lead presenter said the film is available on Apple TV and Amazon and reported marketing impressions in the tens of millions while summarizing expenditures tied to a hot-funds proposal (presented figure in the discussion: $373,250 for marketing). "We spent 373, thousand and $250 from hot funds," the presenter said.

Councilmembers raised concerns about prior commitments, asked for a formal contract that clarifies creative control and financial obligations, and requested verification of tourism metrics the presenters called "heads and beds" (hotel occupancy) after a red-carpet event. One councilmember asked whether hotel owners saw increased occupancy; the presenter said they had letters from hoteliers but acknowledged that not all hotel owners reported full occupancy for the event night.

Council asked staff to provide documentation (service invoices, contracts, HOT-board materials), to clarify who holds creative control of footage and to bring contract options if the council wants the city to retain licensed rights for marketing use. Presenters said they are willing to provide footage and discuss licensing; they also said the production has received offers for broader promotional deals, including a Fox Nation proposal, and that they will not request additional city funds at the meeting but sought direction on how to proceed with marketing and licensing.