WV Film Office to Present Community-Oriented Workshop July 10th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2009
CONTACT: Pam Haynes, WV Film Office
304-558-2200, ext. 382
phaynes@wvfilm.com


State Film Office heads to Huntington with community-oriented workshop

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Film Office will sponsor a half-day workshop in Huntington on July 10 on issues related to the film industry and, particularly, how communities can work with the Film Office to recruit more film production to the state.

"As West Virginia becomes a more popular place to shoot feature films, television programs, music videos and commercials because of its tax incentive program, it has become increasingly more important for the Film Office to reach out to communities and community leaders to better prepare them when their region is chosen for filming," said Pam Haynes, director of the Film Office.

“When I learned about the topics covered in this workshop, I invited the Film Office to host it in Huntington,” said Tyson Compton, president of the Cabell County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This is a very exciting opportunity and the incentives will prove to be very beneficial to our area." Compton said that he hopes to see strong community participation and support to draw in more film business into the state, and Huntington specifically.

The workshop is free and open to the public and RSVPs are requested. Haynes encourages representatives of convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce, economic development authorities, mayors and city managers, county managers and commissioners, the Huntington Regional Film Commission, film and video production companies, and freelance film crew to attend.

Jamie Cope, location services manager for the Film Office, explained that an increase in filming activity is a result of tax credit incentives recently passed by the West Virginia Legislature. "The incentives allow the Film Office to be more competitive with other states in recruiting film productions," he said.

Cope said the workshop, titled "Business of Film: Paths to Opportunity,” will provide an overview of the tax incentives and how they will benefit West Virginia businesses, how communities may become film friendly, what to expect and how to handle filming when it knocks on the door, and how to work effectively with the Film Office. A brief tutorial on location scouting also will be highlighted, and there will be an assortment of helpful handouts.

The workshop begins at 1:30 p.m. and wraps around 5 p.m. in the Kentucky Room at Pullman Plaza Hotel, 1001 Third Avenue.

Haynes said additional workshops are slated in the coming months in other cities across the state. The workshop has been previously presented in Charleston, Follansbee, Lost River, Martinsburg, Weirton and Wheeling. She added that the Film Office will conduct the workshops in any county or community where interest and participation would be significant.

To register for the workshop, contact Misty Dailey at 304-558-2200, ext. 366, or by e-mail at mdailey@wvfilm.com. The West Virginia Film Office is a section under the WV Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism, and can be visited at www.wvfilm.com.