From Business First of Columbus, by Jeff Bell

Central Ohio has been shut out of film and television productions big enough to qualify for a new state tax incentive, but the region’s luck seems to be changing.

A reality series to be shot at Riverside Methodist Hospital for the Lifetime television network is expected to exceed the $300,000 budget mark needed to qualify for the state’s film tax credit, said Jeremy Henthorn, director of the Ohio Film Office. In addition, talks are under way with production companies to bring several projects to Central Ohio in 2011, he said.

“As with (film) tax credits in any other state, it will be snowballing.” Henthorn said. “Once it starts, it gets bigger and bigger. We expect Columbus to see a lot of activity over the next few years.”

Henthorn said that with an estimated budget of $400,000, the One Born Every Minute reality series to be filmed at Riverside can apply for tax credits signed into law in July 2009. The reality show, produced by Los Angeles-based Reveille LLC, will focus on the daily drama at Riverside’s labor and delivery unit. It is expected to begin airing in February.
Bright lights, big payoff

The film tax incentive provides a refundable credit against Ohio’s corporation franchise or income taxes for motion pictures produced in the state. It is designed to help Ohio compete as a location for the production of movies, documentaries, TV shows, videos, commercials, digital media and other entertainment content. State officials have said such productions boost employment and generate revenue for communities.

Data compiled by the Ohio Department of Development show nine projects – none in Central Ohio – qualified for an estimated $9.2 million in tax credits from Oct. 16, 2009, through Sept. 24. The legislature earmarked $10 million for the tax credits in fiscal 2010 and $20 million for fiscal 2011, which began July 1.

The nine projects were expected to generate $41.7 million in spending in the state and $9.5 million in local wages for more than 3,600 workers, according to state estimates. Six of the productions were filmed in the Cleveland area in addition to one each in Cincinnati, Akron and Martins Ferry in eastern Ohio. The most notable were Unstoppable, a drama about a runaway train starring Denzel Washington, and 25 Hill, a film about the Soap Box Derby featuring L.A. Law actor Corbin Bernsen.

The Cleveland area did well because its film commission had a roster of projects lined up when the tax credit program was launched, Henthorn said. Cleveland’s lakefront location and the look of its downtown business district and neighborhoods also appeal to producers.

“It can resemble New York but at a cheaper price,” Henthorn said. “Sometimes geography can appeal to filmmakers.”

As for Columbus, Henthorn said the city’s iconic government buildings such as the Statehouse and Ohio Supreme Court building could draw filmmakers. The city has a strong core of film production crews, he said, including ones that worked on 25 Hill in Akron, and a local film commission whose director, Gail Mezey, is viewed as an advocate for the Central Ohio film industry.

About a dozen small, independent movies are shot in Central Ohio each year, Mezey said, but the Greater Columbus Film Commission lacks the financial resources to court the California studios that make major motion pictures. The commission counts on donations from its members and area film production houses and movie equipment rental businesses, she said. It receives no funding from government, the Greater Columbus Arts Council or economic development groups such as the Columbus Chamber.

The commission hopes to pursue support from government and business groups – like that enjoyed by the Greater Cleveland Film Commission – now that the economy appears to be improving, Mezey said. Film commissions across Ohio are trying to show legislators that the film tax credit brings projects, jobs and revenue to the state, she said.

“I don’t think (filmmakers) would even consider Ohio for a lot of motion pictures before,” Mezey said. “Even if (the story) was Ohio-based, they would still go to Louisiana, Michigan, Illinois and Connecticut (for tax breaks.) But our incentives are still not as competitive as I’d like them to be.”