Gauging the value of AFCI’s Locations can perhaps be done most simply and succinctly by looking at the event through the perspective of a film commissioner—particularly if that professional is about to experience his first such AFCI show. Eric Preiss became director of the Nevada Film Office in November.
He brings a strong financial background to his new role. The life-long Nevada resident has been a CPA for 15 years. He has worked with accounting firm Arthur Anderson and held various management positions with major gaming companies in Nevada including Hilton Hotels Corp. and Caesars Entertainment.
Preiss’ financial acumen is particularly relevant as he embarks on this new chapter in his career given that Nevada, after much industry lobbying, finally has a tax incentive program in place designed to encourage and attract filmmaking to the state. Preiss has in recent months been involved in defining how the incentives program—which officially went into effect on January 1—will be administered by the Nevada Film Office.
Already Sony Pictures is tapping into the program, slated to bring Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 to Nevada, receiving some $4.3 million in transferable state tax credits. Filming is scheduled to begin in April. Also submitting applications for incentives have thus far been an untitled feature film and a TV pilot.
AFCI’s Locations event at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in L.A. from March 27-29 thus comes at an opportune time for Nevada as Preiss and film office veteran, assistant director Ed Harran, look to get the word out on the incentives program, the centerpiece of which is a transferable tax credit for film and other productions, including features, TV, commercials, digital content, branded entertainment, video game and mobile app development. The incentive ranges from 15 to 19 percent on qualified Nevada expenditures, and allows for resident and non-resident labor to be included with some limitations. The program has $20 million allocated per year to be awarded to qualifying productions. Qualified production costs must be greater than $500,000 in Nevada. That minimum threshold can be reached cumulatively, meaning that multiple commercials or pieces of branded content, for example, shot in Nevada during the course of the year can collectively qualify for the tax credit.
Preiss noted that at Locations he and Harran will be able to make producers, location managers and other decision makers aware of what Nevada has to offer—not just in terms of the tax incentive initiative but also the sunny weather, diverse film-friendly locations (that extend stateside, well beyond the famous Las Vegas strip), proximity to Southern California, a deep industry infrastructure and talent pool, and the ease and low cost of film permitting.
As a new film commissioner, Preiss is looking forward to networking at Locations with his counterparts in other municipalities, states and countries, sharing concerns and discussing challenges and opportunities in the marketplace.
The Nevada Film Office will also be participating in related panel discussions, including a pre-Locations session on tax incentives with Preiss serving as a panelist. And during the Locations event, a Friday (3/28) morning session, Filming In Extreme Locations, will feature panelist Brian O’Hare, a locations coordinator with the Nevada Film Office for the past seven years.
The Locations Show brings together hundreds of global production VIPs from independent filmmaker to industry veteran to media to film commissioner, while showcasing a varied display of incentives, production locations, and business and support services.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the film commissioner community there,” said Preiss about Locations. Even though Preiss had no film commission experience prior to coming aboard the Nevada Film Office, he was the ideal choice to take the helm of the operation, according to Harran. “Financial considerations are so integral to the decision-making process of where to film today that to have someone of Eric’s expertise here makes a lot of sense—particularly with our own incentives program being implemented.”
Preiss said he feels what he can bring to the table in concert with Harran’s lengthy film commission track record brings the best of both worlds to producers and others who come to the Nevada Film Office for support and resources.
Building infrastructure
Empire State Development (ESD) has announced that Broadway Stages, a full-service film, television and music video production company in New York, plans to purchase the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island and invest at least $20 million to transform the site into a film, television and music production facility. The company plans to construct five new sound stages totaling 100,000 square feet while aiming to create 800 jobs over the next two years, and as many as 1,500 jobs in the next five years.
“For a long time, New York’s economic development strategy included keeping empty prisons open as job factories at the expense of taxpayers, but those days are over,” said Empire State Development president, CEO and commissioner Kenneth Adams. “In the last three years, the State has closed nine prisons, allowing us to cut taxes, reduce spending and create new economic opportunities in the local communities. Now, we are turning one of those prisons—the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility [which was closed in Dec. 2011]—into a true job factory, redeveloping the site into a state-of-the-art production studio…As we continue to invest in the industries of the future statewide, I look forward to working with Broadway Stages as they seek to expand their company into the great borough of Staten Island.”
Last May, ESD issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the acquisition and redevelopment of the former Arthur Kill CF—an approximately 69 acre site with 43 buildings along the waterfront of Staten Island’s West Shore. Respondents were invited to submit proposals for reuse and redevelopment of the site in ways that create jobs and stimulate economic activity on the West Shore of Staten Island, while also providing a return to the State. The Broadway Stages plan remains subject to contractual negotiations, ESD Director review, and all public approval requirements.
“Thanks to the support of the Governor and his administration, the film industry is booming and studios like ours are excited about investing and bringing new jobs to New York State,” said Gina Argento, president of Broadway Stages. “We are looking forward to expanding on Staten Island and transforming Arthur Kill into a world class production facility.”
With over 30 years in the business, Broadway Stages currently operates facilities in Brooklyn and Queens, with 27 stages totaling over 1 million square feet, and has a significant footprint in the New York City television industry as Broadway Stages provided facilities and services to 13 of the 23 pilots that were filmed in NYC in 2012.
Broadway Stages plans to purchase the Arthur Kill site for $7 million and invest at least an additional $20 million of private funds within two years after closing to build five new sound stages for film, television and music video productions, as well as make portions of the facility available for film use within six months of closing on the property. The company also plans to work with Local 52 (IATSE) for new union members and to work with IATSE to promote new apprenticeship programs to Staten Island residents through on-site training programs.
The film and television production and post-production industries are booming in New York State, injecting billions of dollars into New York’s economy and creating and sustaining thousands of jobs for New Yorkers. Since 2004, there have been 949 projects that have participated in the Empire State Film Production Tax Credit Program, which has resulted in over $14 billion in direct spending across the state and nearly 675,000 hires (jobs). According to the U.S. Bureau of the Labor Statistics, film industry employment in New York State reached 47,404 in 2012, a 28 percent increase over employment of 36,919 for 2008. By comparison, film industry employment in the U.S. during the same period declined by 0.62 percent. Film industry employment in New York State as a percentage of total U.S. film industry employment grew from 16 percent in 2008 to nearly 21 percent in 2012.
ESD is New York’s chief economic development agency and the primary administrative agency overseeing Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of “I Love NY.”
Rally in Tally
This is a critical year to show the Florida legislature that the film, entertainment, and digital media industry is in need of House support. Hence Film Florida’s Rally in Tally initiative was born to build support for Florida’s Entertainment Production Tax Incentive Program. Concerned industry folk will unite, walk the halls of the Florida legislature in the Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Florida, and speak directly with the legislators who can support the pending legislation to replenish the Florida Film & Entertainment Incentive Program.
People will be bused in from South Florida, Central Florida and the Tampa Bay region in the early evening on March 25 and return late on March 26.
Nominees set for LMGA Awards
Location Managers Guild of America (LMGA) announced nominations for outstanding achievement by location professionals in feature films, television and commercials competing in the First Annual Location Managers Guild of America Awards. The creative contributions of location professionals will be recognized, stressing their importance to the production process.
The nominations were announced by Nancy Haecker, LMGA president. Winners will be revealed and honored on Saturday, March 29, at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. Here’s a full rundown of nominees:
In the running for Outstanding Achievement by a Location Professional-Feature Films are: Ilt Jones (Iron Man 3); John Latenser V (Nebraska); Rick Schuler & Steve Mapel (Her); Andrew Ullman & Lori Balton (Saving Mr. Banks); and David Velasco (American Hustle).
Nominees for Outstanding Achievement by a Location Professional-TV Programs are: Robert Boake (Game of Thrones); Patrick Burn (House of Cards); Christian Diaz de Bedoya (Breaking Bad); Caleb Duffy (Behind the Candelabra); and Veronique Vowell (Scandal).
Nominations for Outstanding Achievement by a Location Professional-Commercials stack up like this: David Doumeng & Charlie Love (Nike); Dale Dreher (America’s Got Talent); Kent Matsuoka (Mountain Dew); Barbara Miller (Optimum); and Byll Williams & JJ Levine (Gatorade)
Outstanding Location Feature Film nominees are: American Hustle; Fruitvale Station; Nebraska; Philomena; and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Due to a tie, there are six nominees for Outstanding Location Television Program: Breaking Bad; Dexter; Game of Thrones; House of Cards; NCIS: Los Angeles; and Treme.
And nominated for Outstanding Film Commission are: Albuquerque Film Commission (Breaking Bad & Lone Survivor); Film in Iceland (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty); Film LA (NCIS: Los Angeles); Long Beach Film Commission (Dexter); and South Pasadena Film Commission (Dexter)
