According to the Pittsburgh Film Office, Pittsburgh is one of the busiest film production cities in the country.

Most recently, Pittsburgh has served as the backdrop for films and TV shows like "The Pitt," "Hershey" and "How to Rob a Bank." 

Over 5,000 people rely on the film and TV industry, including those who scout out what we see on the big screen. James Mahathey said he's scouted thousands of film and TV locations in western Pennsylvania and beyond. 

He remembers when "The Dark Knight Rises" blew up Heinz Field. And looking around, he can tell you what was filmed on which street. 

Walking around Downtown Pittsburgh and anywhere, Mahathey is always carrying a camera, taking pictures of the potential film sets.

"Producer or production designer will just send us a kind of a punch-list of key locations they're looking for to even consider Pittsburgh," he said. 

That means Mahathey is always doing his best to essentially sell the city as everyone's next film site.

"So many options here, you know, you have city, you have places that can look like New York, you can go to Oakland and get D.C. looks, you can go out, like I said, to the country," he said. 

So what makes a good spot? 

"Finding a lot of locations together because you have a lot to shoot every day, and that's one of the things that Pittsburgh allows is that you can shoot an alley like this, and you can move carts and be in a building and do a big office scene," he said. 

Most recently, crews transformed Carson Street for "Hershey." Another shoot closed Ninth Street in Ambridge on Monday. He said it's nuanced decision making. 

"A million little things, it's all depending on what the designer wants, and the director wants," said Mahathey.

Every year, he puts thousands of miles on his car while looking for the exact space, but the real work starts after getting the director's sign off. Mahathey said he has to permit police and security, find a catering spot and make sure everything is set up the moment the camera starts rolling.  

Filming around the Pittsburgh area brings $150 million each year into the region's economy.  

• Pittsburgh