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LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2023
The LMGI Partners with
Oklahoma Film + Music
Office
The Select Oklahoma
Conference was held in
Oklahoma City on August 28.
The Oklahoma Film + Music
Office sponsored a curated
program at the conference
that highlighted Oklahoma's
film and music industry to
state, city and tribal leadership
with the goal of arming
participants with tools needed
to increase capital investment
in Oklahoma through business
creation or talent attainment
in film and music.
Former LMGI President Mike
Fantasia gave the kickoff
keynote address on how
community collaboration is
critical to the success of the
film and television industry
when working on location. He
discussed how communities
and film productions can
successfully collaborate
in bringing the economic
benefits of the entertainment
industry to Oklahoma's
statewide communities. He
drew on his experience filming
in small towns around the
United States to highlight
where and how productions
spend money and how they
touch virtually every segment
of a community; the benefits
of film tourism; and the
various job opportunities in
film and television.
Fantasia also moderated a
breakout panel on Problem
Solvers: A Deep Dive Into
Filming On-Location in
Oklahoma with LMGI members
Chris Kucharski, Luke Helms
and Andrea Keener, Pawhuska
police chief Lorrie Hennesy
and El Reno City Manager Matt
Sandidge. They discussed
the pros and cons of filming
in small communities, what
people and businesses can do
to make their community more
attractive to filmmakers and
the work needed to be done to
make Oklahoma communities
more attractive to filmmakers.
Said Keener, "Being a part of
the panel discussion during the
Select Oklahoma Conference
was a fantastic experience. As
Oklahoma works to increase
their tax incentives and bring
more productions into the
state, helping the various
municipalities and goverment
agencies know what to expect
and how to support filming
is imperative. If you have
"open for business" & "all are
welcome" signs out, but don't
know how to help or what to
expect from the customer,
it could lead to disaster.
That is what the panel was
trying to do—give folks the
understanding of how to help
the customer and what to
anticipate. I had a very positive
experience with various
police, fire and city officials
while filming in Oklahoma on
Killers of the Flower Moon,
and was glad to be part of the
conversation.
L-R: Chris Kucharski/LMGI, Jeanette Stanton, Luke Helms/LMGI,
Andrea Keener/LMGI, Lorrie Hennesy, Matt Sandidge, Mike Fantasia/LMGI.
Photos courtesy Mike Fantasia/LMGI
Mike Fantasia/LMGI addresses the audience.
