Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/100015
OUTLOOK FILM OFFICES to Lake Charles to Monroe and New Orleans. ���We also have a forward-thinking director of economic development, Stephen Morris. His focus is on the digital media industries and film fits firmly into that. Our motion picture program has been a catalyst for other parts of the industry.��� WEAKNESSES: ���As an industry, the weakness is that everyone involved in this industry is tied to the ups and downs of the industry as a whole as well as the economy. Whenever the industry dips, the business in each area of the world dips.��� OPPORTUNITIES: ���We are starting to see major companies looking to expand into our market. That creates job opportunities for Louisiana residents. I look at it from a father���s point of view; we are setting forth a path for the future, so my kids will have opportunities that I never had. Expatriates who may have moved away to work in this industry in other states can now come back. We are reversing the brain drain and creating opportunities for those around the world who are looking for a fresh start because there are job opportunities.��� THREATS: ���There is always a threat that someone comes and looks at incentives in general and decides to do away with the office.The current administration under Governor Jindal has supported this industry fully, but the threat is that the program could go away and that everything we have built up to this point will go away as well. We have to make sure what we are doing is showing a good return to the state. That we are creating job opportunities for Louisiana residents, making sure the program is efficient and administered tightly. ���As an industry, the biggest threat is how do you capitalize on the current emerging trends in technology. Box office receipts are coming in less, even though the movies are coming in bigger and bigger. How do you appeal to those whose attention span has been reduced by YouTube and videogames? They don���t necessarily want to go out to a three-hour movie. ���Another big threat to the film industry is increasing piracy. There are some countries in the underdeveloped world where their government hasn���t taken piracy seriously. It affects everyone.��� OUTLOOK 2013: ���For Louisiana, we���ve seen increases in production, plus increases in the number of companies that want to move into our market. People have recognized the opportunities in what we are doing and are relocating families and companies. As an industry, we���ll always have the movie industry in some way shape or form.There will always be a subset of population that will enjoy escaping reality and go to movies. That will never go away and that will work itself out.��� KATHERINE OLIVER Commissioner New York City Mayor���s Office of Media and Entertainment www.nyc.gov/mome New York The Mayor���s Office of Media and Entertainment consists of the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting; NYC Digital; and NYC Media. The city is seeing a boom in TV series work. Throughout this season, the office already has 25 primetime episodic series filming in the five boroughs. STRENGTHS: ���Some film offices focus on managing the logistics of permits while others promote their region as an optimal location to the industry. We all have customer service in common, and we all want to attract production to our area because it���s an important economic driver. Having productions on the ground in your city or state can bring 28 Post���������December���2012��� www.postmagazine.com Person of Interest shoots all over New York City. lasting economic benefits, not just while they���re filming, but also into the future when tourists visit because of what they���ve seen on screen. We see all of the films and TV shows that film here in New York as postcards to the world. ���If a production has a good experience here in NYC, they���ll be more likely to return for future projects. We have an experienced staff that coordinates with productions on all aspects of their shoot ��� from location requests to special permissions, and we���ll come up with creative solutions for filming elaborate sequences. ���We also liaison with community boards, business improvement districts and local elected officials. We host community appreciation screenings in the neighborhood where a film was shot and hold free panels under the umbrella of our ���Made in NY��� Industry Series so that interested New Yorkers can learn more about career opportunities in film and television. We also created the ���Made in NY��� Discount Card Program so that local businesses could connect with productions.��� WEAKNESSES: ���Until last year, our permits were signed by hand, and a production would have to come into our office to pick up the approved permit. So that could have been considered a weakness. Now the system is computerized so productions can apply for permits from any computer, and approved permits can be emailed directly to the production office. The computerized system also allows our staff to quickly and efficiently spot conflicts when more than one production requests to be at a specific location.��� OPPORTUNITIES: ���Originally tasked with issuing permits to productions, we���ve also grown to run the city���s television stations and coordinate the city���s digital communications to better engage with local residents. We also think there���s opportunity for collaboration and community-building in the media and entertainment industries, and with that in mind we���ve announced the ���Made in NY��� Media Center. The center ��� which will be located in DUMBO, Brooklyn, and developed and operated by IFP, the Independent Feature Project ��� will be a centralized hub that will provide affordable workspace for emerging media entrepreneurs and companies as well as space for educational programs and networking events. The goal of the ���Made in NY��� Media Center is to connect filmmakers and producers with digital companies who can design apps and social media games that will expand the original content���s reach and make it even more accessible. It will also include confercontinued on page 46