Expert Bios/Interview Questions

Aaron Syrett- North Carolina Film Commissioner
1.    How did you get involved at the NC Film Commission?
2.    What are your duties as a film commissioner?
3.    For someone who may be unfamiliar with it, what exactly is a film incentive and how did the incentive program start in North Carolina?
4.    How do film incentives benefit the film industry? How does it benefit North Carolina specifically?
5.    Many successful films such as Iron Man, Safe Haven, The Secret Life of Bees, The Hunger Games, etc. were filmed in NC. What makes North Carolina a prime location for film production?
6.    Though the decision to cut the incentive is not final, how is the situation currently affecting film production out of NC and the individuals working here?
7.    What has been your role/the NC Film Office’s role in convincing lawmakers to renew the incentive?
8.    How will the state benefit from the tax incentive being cut? How will it suffer?
9.    What is the fate of the film industry in North Carolina should the tax incentive be cut come January 2015?
10.    How can people take action to stop Governor McCrory from cutting the incentive?

Expert Bio-

Aaron Syrett is coming up on his 7th year as Director and Film Commissioner for the North Carolina Film Office. He received his degree in Communications for Film, TV, Radio, and Marketing from the University of Utah and a Certificate for Motion Picture Producing from the Rockport School of Film. Prior to accepting his position at the NC Film Office, Syrett held the same title for the Utah Film Commission for 9 years and served as US Caucus Chair for the Association of Film Commissioners International for two. He has been credited on nearly 70 films and television series, including Austin Powers in Goldmember, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Hunger Games, and Nights in Rodanthe. Aaron has been working to build upon North Carolina’s legacy and “boost the global visibility of North Carolina’s resources.”



Sharon Decker- Secretary of Commerce
1.    What are your responsibilities as the Secretary of Commerce?
2.    Since you have been appointed to the Governor’s cabinet, what has been your involvement with the North Carolina film industry?
3.    In 2006, Governor Mike Easley signed the film incentive into law to encourage film production in the state rather than internationally. Why is there now discussion of it coming to an end?
4.    How does North Carolina benefit as a state by renewing the film incentive?
5.    What would be the downside if the state were to continue offering the film incentive?
6.    How will the state be negatively affected by cutting the tax incentive?
7.    What is Governor McCrory’s current stance regarding the film incentive?
8.    In early December, you were quoted saying, “We want the film industry to grow in the state and we’re committed to figuring out how best to facilitate that.” How will the industry continue to grow if there is no incentive program to motivate filmmakers to come to North Carolina?
9.    In 2012, the public voted on whether or not Wilmington should build a $37 million ballpark for minor league baseball. How would this have been a better use of government funds over the already established and thriving film industry?
10.    What will be the new focus for government spending should the film industry lose its tax incentive? 

Expert Bio-

In 2013, Sharon Allred Decker was appointed to Governor Pat McCrory’s Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Decker spent over 17 years with Duke Power Company, working her way up to become the Chief Communications Officer and Vice President of the company. In her 30+ years of experience in business and commerce, Sharon Decker also founded the Lynnwood Foundation, the William States Lee Leadership Institute, served as chair of the Charlotte Chamber, president of the Doncaster division of Tanner Companies, and created and served as the CEO of the Tapestry Group. Decker happens to be a proponent for the film incentives and believes they are necessary to be a competitor in the film industry. 



** need to rework the order/strength of some of the questions...any thoughts?**

New Interesting Article..

Came across a news article that was released today (1/21/14) headlined, "Reports Conflict On Impact of NC Film Incentives." Apparently one of the statistics from another article I posted, the one regarding the study showing the $10 million economic impact for the Cape Fear Region, was not quite accurate. The article states,

"That study shows that an estimated 4,000 jobs were created by the film industry in 2012, but those jobs cost state taxpayers about $18,500 each. While the industry had a $400 million impact statewide, the state's general fund lost more than $60 million on the tax credit."

What to make of that...

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/21/3883774/reports-conflict-on-impact-of.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/21/3883774/reports-conflict-on-impact-of.html#storylink=cpy

Research continued..

Here are some articles I found that discuss the film incentive..

This article discusses the governor's decision to cut the film incentive. It goes into depth about the productions and companies that gained much success through filming in North Carolina.

http://www.ncfilm.com/news/699/109/Governor-s-Office-Announces-2013-Year-End-Estimates-for-Film-in-NC.html

This article talks about the losses NC will see as a state due to the millions of dollars in lost tax revenue. A study was done to show just how much impact the loss would have on the state, and will hopefully be used to "make the case in favor of the incentive's importance to the state's economy."

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20131203/ARTICLES/131209923/1177?Title=Study-reveals-potential-10-million-loss-without-film-incentive#gsc.tab=0


Earlier in December, Governor Pat McCrory decided to reconsider his stance on the film incentives. There is potential for the program to be revived, as McCrory has recognized the benefits film and television production has brought to the state.

http://variety.com/2013/film/news/north-carolina-governor-helps-revive-hopes-for-renewal-of-states-production-tax-credit-1200969932/

This is an interesting page that briefly runs through the film incentives by state. I'm curious to see what other states are facing similar issues with the incentives potentially being cut, which states are seeing continued success and support, and even which states are benefiting from North Carolinian filmmakers searching elsewhere for work.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/fiscal-policy/state-film-production-incentives-and-programs.aspx

Most of the articles and news coverage regarding the film incentives date before December 18, 2013. I have yet to find anything more recent than this; I know the decision is still at hand and hope it stays prominent in the media.   

The search continues..

Concept Research

The fate of the North Carolina Film Incentives has been a hot topic for the past year. While Governor Pat McCrory believes the film incentive needs to be cut and the state does not benefit from it, individuals linked with the film industry argue otherwise. There are many proponents of the NC film incentives; tons of support can be found in or around the Wilmington area and are invested in keeping the film community alive here- including companies such as The Production Source and the Wilmington Film Commission.

I knew about the issue of keeping or cutting the film incentive, but was not thoroughly educated on how the commission works. I decided to research the topic itself first; I found that North Carolina offers a 25% refundable tax credit for every film who "reports the qualified expenses" on their tax returns (with a max budget of $20 million) and films are permitted to film on State-owned property for free. Many types of productions qualify for the film incentive- Feature Films, Direct-to-Video, Episodic Television Series, Movies of the Week, Television Mini-Series, Reality Television, Commercials, Documentaries, Animation Productions, and Webisodes. 

It seems to me that one of the biggest issues,  should the film incentive be cut, is the thousands of men and women in the film industry who will be unemployed or have to search for jobs elsewhere. Along with finding out more information about the film incentive itself, I'd like to talk to individuals who have worked on successful films and can vouch for the program; I'd also like to discuss the topic with people who are about to or may have already moved just to make a living. 

As for receiving access to the Cucalorus/Screen Gems Oscar party, Connor and I both are acquainted with Dylan Lee, Board President for Cucalorus (and GTV manager for the City of Wilmington); I believe he will be a good contact to break ground with interviews & B-roll. Channing might be able to hook it up too :) 

Once our group meets and has a clear idea of the direction we want to go with our film, I will intently look for more specific potential locations for filming, contacts/interviewees and post it here!