The Division has helped cast a bright spotlight on N.C. destinations by garnering expansive and valuable media coverage of film sites used in "The Hunger Games." The Division's PR team has been proactively pitching the film's travel angle to print, broadcast and online outlets for several months, and it is paying off in a big way. Already the Division's placements have reached an audience of 13 million and earned more than $1.5 million in total editorial coverage. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• On Friday, "The Today Show" featured N.C. as the place to visit sites used in "The Hunger Games."
• Last week, the Associated Press placed a story on the wire, where it has been picked up by countless outlets including Yahoo, about N.C. getting ready for fans of the movie to visit.
• Last Thursday's Toronto Star featured a story on the front page of its travel section that also included a map of filming locations.
• Yesterday (Tuesday), CNN.com posted a story and slideshow showing how N.C. is hoping to lure fans of "The Hunger Games."
• Fox News.com interviewed N.C. Film Office Director Aaron Syrett and Director of Tourism Marketing Wit Tuttell, discussing how N.C. worked to get "The Hunger Games" filmed in the state and also how the state is preparing for fans to visit with hopes to see sites used in the movie and locations visited by the cast and crew.
• Last Friday's "USA Today" featured "The Hunger Games" and how the state is positioning itself to take advantage of the film's success.
• And the "Los Angeles Times" noted how "The Hunger Games" is fueling "Hollywood's appetite for North Carolina."

In addition to these placements, the PR team is expecting coverage in an upcoming edition of "The New York Times." The team is also working with "The Today Show" on a segment scheduled to air this week. "Today" was in Shelby today (Wednesday) shooting footage of local locations used in the movie, with plans to film other N.C. sites. Jackie Sibley, director of Tour Cleveland County, said "Hunger Games" fans are calling about visiting the city and that families are already showing up for self-guided tours, stopping at the Chamber of Commerce for directions. A bus with visitors from Roanoke, Va., is scheduling a stop. "We're also getting a lot of calls from Canada," she said. "The Canadians seem to be very interested." Meanwhile, a pamphlet that identifies Shelby's movie sites is in the works, and local restaurants are offering such dishes as a "Hunger Games" pizza, "Girl on Fire" pizza and "Peeta Pita."

"The Hunger Games" was shot on locations and soundstages in the western half of the state.