ABC’s ‘Modern Family’ Comes to Wyoming [PHOTOS, VIDEO]

The very funny and award winning show Modern Family is set to premiere this week. The theme of the episode is a summer vacation with all the families to a dude ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. More importantly it's the real Jackson Hole!

Jackson Hole residents along with town and county officials provided financial backing and other incentives to entice show producers to choose a Wyoming location. “It’s much more beautiful here than it would have been had we faked it in California,” noted Steve Levitan, executive producer of the hit comedy. The show is also hoping to qualify for a cash rebate from the Wyoming Film Office program known as “FIFI” – Film Industry Financial Incentive. That program was extended by the state legislature in the 20ll session.

The Wyoming Tourism board estimates that close to $500,000 in publicity has already been garnered from hosting the cast and crew of Modern Family. This publicity has come from the 400 newspaper, magazine, and website feature stories which have been published about the “Modern Family” premiere set in Wyoming. To further capitilaze on the publicity surrounding our great state the Wyoming Tourism board has bought prime time advertising to run during the premiere of Modern Family. These commercials will run in Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Portland and St. Louis. The purchase totaled $84,600.

In addition to the increased advertising, the state tourism has also built a new front end to their website at www.wyomingtourism.org that will go live this week. Visitors to the site who show an interest in Modern Family will be able to enter into a contest to win a trip to the ranch that the Modern Family season premier episode was filmed.

Check out the gallery as well as a behind the scenes video that was shot during the cast and crew's visit to Wyoming.