WATERTOWN, Tenn. (WKRN) — Art director and set decorator Ruby Guidara saw big potential in a small town.

"When I first drove into the town square of Watertown, I was just like, 'This is so crazy' because it looked like the back lot at Warner Brothers studios in Hollywood. It just was surreal," Guidara said.

She moved to Watertown with Hollywood experience under her belt, having worked on feature films including "Basic Instinct" and "October Sky." Her first big project in Watertown, nearly 25 years ago, was a music video and Dr. Pepper commercial with Garth Brooks.

"Garth was incredible. He stayed both days after shooting for hours and signed autographs," Guidara said. "He went above and beyond for the people in our community, and what that did was then make the whole community be so excited and open to other artists and other jobs. It was the best possible scenario for a first big music video situation."

It certainly was not the last. The video for Carrie Underwood's Grammy-winning "Jesus Take the Wheel" was shot in Watertown, as was Taylor Swift's "Safe and Sound" and Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice." Darius Rucker, Merle Haggard, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton and Steven Tyler have all shot in Watertown.

But there's one music video that really put the city on the map. In 2009, America's teen heartthrob Justin Bieber filmed the music video for his mega hit "One Less Lonely Girl" at the Kleen-O-Matic Laundromat on the Watertown square.

"It was awesome because the video turned out so cute, and then he became a huge star. Then, when he did, Watertown became this huge destination for Justin Bieber fans," Guidara explained. "You would see these families roll up in their minivan, and teenage girls get out of the van, bright eyed and bushy tailed with their cameras. The businesses loved it because we became a destination because of the Justin Bieber laundromat. Who knew?"

So what is it about Watertown? It could be its small town, Americana aesthetic or Guidara's industry connections. She was the set decorator for the television series "Nashville." But she said it's more than that. Watertown and Wilson County embrace these projects and involve the community.

"If you want to shoot in Watertown, you get the okay from the mayor, and then he directs you to our chief of police, who makes it really easy on the film companies, and everybody's happy," Guidara said. "It's been really good for even the gas station, the grocery store, the coffee shop, the local restaurants, and then a lot of the local people have been extras in the in the jobs. They really enjoy it, so it's a really nice business to share with your local community."

There have also been several small movies that have been filmed in Watertown including "Charlie's War" and "The Identical."

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/on-tour-middle-tn/nostalgic-laundromat-picturesque-town-square-attract-big-name-artists-to-shoot-music-videos-in-watertown/