ASPEN — The premier of VH1’s “Secrets of Aspen” reality TV series has sparked enough hatred of the show that some residents have complained to the city government and questioned how its production could have been allowed.
“Like it or not, the ‘Secrets of Aspen’ premiered on VH1 last night,” wrote Sally Spaulding, the city’s community relations officer on her government blog, which appeared on the city’s website Monday. “A lot of people have very strong feelings about the show, and many have asked the city of Aspen why we granted it a film permit.”
Spaulding said her office received a few e-mails from people saying they didn’t appreciate the show’s content and wondered why the city would allow production if it casts the town in a negative light.
According to Spaulding’s blog, the city of Aspen does not ask for scripts, content or other information when issuing film permits.
“Rather, we review things such as insurance, use of facilities agreements, etc. In this respect, High Noon Entertainment, the production company for ‘Secrets of Aspen,’ complied with all city regulations,” Spaulding wrote. “They also provided the city with a detailed filming schedule, and they worked with venues to achieve specific permissions for filming.
“We did not place any conditions on Aspen’s image or content by approving High Noon’s film permit for ‘The Secrets of Aspen.’ If we did, we would violate their right to free speech and freedom of expression.”
Read the rest of this report, including a financial breakdown of the production benefits, at .
