Tenn. lobbied for 'Hannah Montana' film

NASHVILLE, June 15 (UPI) -- Tennessee officials say they had to lobby hard to have "Hannah Montana: The Movie" filmed in their state despite it being the star's home turf.

State Film, Entertainment and Music Commission Executive Director Perry Gibson said she tirelessly worked to convince Walt Disney Pictures executives to film the movie version of the popular TV series in Tennessee, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Sunday.

Gibson said sending hundreds of text messages and e-mails in her attempt to land the upcoming movie should be worth it if additional Hollywood projects are produced in Tennessee.

"We needed one production to come here and do really, really well. If they come to a state, and it goes really, really well, they tell everyone," she said. "Disney is so tough, and productions like NBC-Universal say, 'If Disney comes here, we'll be second.'"

The Tennessean said in addition to Gibson's efforts, Tennessee officials also offered special incentives to Disney that could potentially amount to more than $3 million.

Actress-singer Miley Cyrus, who portrays the title character in the popular Disney Channel series, was born in Franklin, Tenn.