Article On Quad Cities Film Status

Local leaders are taking a fresh look at film production around the Quad Cities. That’s as Iowa rebounds from scandal to start from scratch.
Doug Miller has an eye for the big screen.
“It depends on the script or the movie,” he said.
The longtime media executive is scouting film locations in the Village of East Davenport. This historic setting offers plenty of potential.
“If they’re looking for old buildings of a certain period, this location’s been used,” he said.
Nearly 20 feature films were shot in Iowa from 2007-09. The East Village doubled as Vail, Colorado, in TV’s “Megafault.” The compelling baseball movie, “Sugar,” showcased Davenport locations, too.
But after fraudulent scandal brought down the Iowa Film Office four years ago, production nearly went dark in the Hawkeye state along with any tax incentives.
“The unfortunate experience of the last five years really hurt what was a booming business,” Miller said.
Iowa wants to recapture film production these days. The state is getting a fresh start with Produce Iowa. The office is trying to attract film and media projects.
That’s why Miller is a man on the move these days. He’s helping to launch Produce Quad Cities and create a photo database to attract production.
“The more film projects we can get coming in our direction, the more positive economic impact that we have in our community,” said Joe Taylor, president and CEO of the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Iowa discovered with films like “Field of Dreams” that the movie industry brings in big bucks.
“$25 million in hard cash into the community over the years just doing feature films,” Miller concluded.
One location at a time, they’re planning a production revival.
To learn more about participating in the photo database, check out http://www.produceiowa.com

We Meet Liz Gilman, Executive Director of Produce Iowa

Today I, along with friends Dave Thrasher and Jay Villwock, met with the Executive Producer of Produce Iowa, Liz Gilman.  I learned that Liz didn't apply for the job but was offered it instead.  It appears her office has $400,000 in the budget, which will come in handy as all desks and files and everything was lost when the Iowa Film Office fell.  Liz wants to build a database to attract crew and establish locations for prospective filmmakers to search.  She will use a software many film offices now utilize, Real Scout.  She said she met with members of the Association of Film Commissioners of the World during her trip in recent weeks to Los Angeles, which included leaders of film offices in other U. S. states.  She has toured the state to promote the new film office and meet creative Iowans.  Liz said she would make information available to filmmakers and cast and crew soon via the internet, so stay tuned to this report site.  Pictured are yours truly Gene L. Hamilton, Liz Gilman, Jay Villwock, and David Thrasher.

From the Iowa City Press-Citizen

A few months ago, the Branstad administration reactivated the Iowa Film Office. Only, they don’t call it the Iowa Film Office anymore. It’s now Produce Iowa.
And the office is no longer housed in the Iowa Department of Economic Development (or even in the Iowa Economic Development Authority, as that former department is now called). Instead, it’s under the umbrella of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
Changing the name makes perfect sense, of course. After all, if you type “Iowa Film Office” into Google, the word “scandal” is still offered as the most popular search options. And it hasn’t even been a year since the last of the trials ended for the state employees and filmmakers accused of grossly abusing Iowa’s film tax program.
Given how much the scandal made Iowans look more like easy marks than future movie moguls, it’s little wonder that Republican Gov. Terry Branstad decided to leave the office dark when he began his fourth term in 2011.
But in the two decades before the scandal, the Iowa Film Office did provided some benefit to Iowa and to the state’s fledgling film industry. It served as a clearinghouse for information about filmmaking in Iowa and helped bring about the filming of such classics as “Field of Dreams” and “The Bridges of Madison County.”
It was only after lawmakers got greedy — and state economic development employees got criminally sloppy — that the office became focused exclusively on aggressively going after films with bigger and bigger budgets.
With the dust from the scandal finally settling, it makes sense to tap the state’s Department of Cultural Affairs offer to set up some kind of front door for filmmakers and other media producers who might be considering a shoot in Iowa and who need advice on where to find equipment and qualified technicians.
Produce Iowa, after only three months in existence, is little more than a desk in the Iowa State Historical Building, a placeholder website (www.produceiowa.com) and a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ProduceIowa). But the new office’s executive producer, Liz Gilman, has been traveling the state and talking with producers, festival directors, tourism officials and other entrepreneurs to see how the office could best be of service to their efforts.
Gilman — as the owner of Gilman Media Inc. in West Des Moines — already has significant experience coordinating media production for a variety of companies that range from the local (Maytag Dairy Farms and Ruan Transportation) to the national (Comcast, Mediacom and HBO). And she understands that — when given enough opportunities — local technicians, cameramen, editors, managers and directors can make a living off of non-entertainment productions more so than waiting for the occasional movie shoot.
After being stung so painfully by the film scandal, we’ve been editorializing for the past few years about the need to dial back the state’s cinematic vision. But we also think Gilman is developing a more a realistic approach to how to grow Iowa’s film, TV and digital media-production community in a sustainable way.
The administration is being understandably cautious, but we look forward to see what Produce Iowa comes up with for how to support the development of this industry as well as how to work to improve the way Iowa gets portrayed on the silver, small and hand-held screens.

Landlocked Film Festival begins today

Iowans may no longer have stars in their eyes when dreaming about the state’s filmmaking future, but there are still a good number of film-makers and film-lovers active in the state.
The Seventh Annual Landlocked Film Festival, for example, kicks off today in downtown Iowa City. Although this year’s festival does not include as many workshops and discussion groups as in the past, there are still more than three dozen films to view over the weekend.
For a schedule, visit www.landlockedfilmfestival.org.

I loved James as "Tony" in "The Sopranos"!!!

By MICHAEL S. JAMES and LESLEY MESSER (@lesleymesser)

June 19, 2013

James Gandolfini, the actor who most famously portrayed Tony Soprano on the series "The Sopranos," has died in Italy at age 51, according to his managers and HBO, which broadcast "The Sopranos."
"It is with immense sorrow that we report our client James Gandolfini passed away today while on holiday in Rome, Italy," said his managers, Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders. "Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply. He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving."
HBO said in a prepared statement, "We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He was special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect. He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us."

Very Good Film Related Article

Q-C visit a start in rebuilding Iowa multimedia industry

Originally Posted Online: June 08, 2013, 8:12 pm
Last Updated: June 08, 2013, 11:43 pm

Comment on this story | Print this story | Email this story
By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com

Nearly four years after the former head of the old Iowa Film Office was fired in a tax-incentive scandal, the new chief of a revamped multimedia production office is in place and will visit the Quad-Cities on Tuesday.

The Quad Cities Film Coalition is hosting a public reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Lodge Hotel, Bettendorf, for Liz Gilman, executive producer of Produce Iowa, Office of Media Production, which is part of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. She will tour the area and learn about the local production community, meeting the people who work in front of and behind the camera, as well as those interested in media production of all kinds, said film coalition co-founder Doug Miller, Davenport.

"The big focus is really going to be getting the infrastructure of the office up and running, and that's going to take a long time," he said, noting Ms. Gilman is getting to know people around the state. As far as state tax incentives for the industry, "that's not in the immediate future," Mr. Miller said.

"The difficulty is the first thing you're going to get asked (by interested producers) is what incentives are you going to have? That makes things a little more difficult," he said. Compared to the coasts, though, "the cost of doing business here is a great deal less, like the cost for anything is a lot less here than other parts of the country," said Mr. Miller.

The QC Film Coalition, first formed under the old Quad City Development Group, is a loosely organized group of professionals and businesses interested in filmed entertainment. It is repositioning itself as a local version of Produce Iowa, representing all ways media is produced, Mr. Miller said.

Produce Iowa aims to promote the film, TV, and digital media-production community within the state, as well to those outside Iowa who are interested in using skills of these professionals.

"We are eager to move forward with Produce Iowa and to encompass all media production as we renew our efforts to promote and attract the industry to Iowa," said Mary Cownie, director of the Department of Cultural Affairs. "With Liz Gilman, I believe we have found an experienced leader who understands the media-production world and will lead us into the future as Iowa's storyteller, with new ideas and a fresh perspective."

"This first year will be a building year," Ms. Gilman said. "I am looking forward to the tremendous potential of generating media-production opportunities in Iowa while celebrating and promoting our state to this highly creative industry."

The Hawkeye State's effort to compete in the cutthroat world of film financing landed it in hot water in September 2009, when Thomas Wheeler, former head of the Iowa Film Office, was fired. Two years later, he was convicted of falsifying public records, but acquitted of other fraud and misconduct charges in connection with 22 approved film projects that received more than $25 million in improper tax credits through the state film office.

The state legislature has suspended offers of tax credits, and Ms. Gilman said in a recent interview she's happy to be starting over.

"I want to see what's out there, what people are wanting the office to be. It's been vacant for four years," she said. "A lot has happened since then -- so many new technologies, many apps, gaming." That's one reason why the word "film" is not part of the name of the new office; it's meant to encompass all media, Ms. Gilman said.

"The greatest thing is we have a fresh start. We can create from the ground up what we want to be," she said. "I think it's a great opportunity, with new technologies and trends, to create something fresh and different.

"It all comes down to relationships and people. There are great people in our state, well-educated," Ms. Gilman said. "We have that Iowa nice -- people want to work with us. We want to handle quality productions, build relationships."

For more than 20 years, Ms. Gilman, an Iowa native, successfully has run her own businesses, including Gilman Media Inc., of West Des Moines. Clients have included national firms Comcast, Mediacom and HBO, as well as numerous Iowa companies, including Maytag Dairy Farms, Ruan Transportation and Des Moines Performing Arts.

Her has produced national TV programs throughout the U.S., in locations ranging from Walt Disney World in Orlando to MGM Grand in Las Vegas to Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, Calif.

"I understand what the established companies are up against, employing people for the long term," Ms. Gilman said. "I understand what locations you need to provide, what crewing you need. I think one reason they were interested in me, I've been a troop in the field. I understand the industry."

She is going to Los Angeles at the end of June to meet other film commissioners from around the world. "I really just need to meet people and see what's going on. I want to see what other states are doing, see what the industry trends are," she said.

The Iowa Office of Media Production also will identify new trends in media production and advancements that are being made in the state.

During her visit here, Ms. Gilman will brief the QC Film Coalition on the planned state program and exhibit "Hollywood in the Heartland," to be developed in the coming year and unveiled at the State Historical Museum of Iowa next June. Mr. Miller wants to make sure the Q-C area is represented accurately and fairly in the exhibit.

"Our heritage, on stage and on screen, goes back over 100 years. There's a wealth of information out there," he said.

The exhibit objectives are to bring attention to actors from Iowa, movies shot in the state over the years, and the many historic motion-picture exhibition experiences that can be had throughout the state.


Iowa and Illinois film facts

Iowa:

The motion picture and television industry is responsible for 3,664 direct jobs and $82.1 million in wages in Iowa, including both production- and distribution-related jobs. More than 450 of the jobs are production-related.

In 2010 and 2011, just two movies were filmed in the state -- "At Any Price" and "Scribble." There is no significant tax incentive for production in Iowa.

Illinois:

The movie and TV industry is responsible for 20,946 direct jobs and $969.2 million in wages in Illinois, including both production- and distribution-related jobs. More than 6,100 of the jobs are production-related.

In 2011, nine movies and 10 TV series were filmed in the state. Movies included "Man of Steel," "Lincoln," "A Fonder Heart," "Just Like a Woman," "Valley of the Sun," and "A Green Story." TV series include "The Rosie Show," "The Playboy Club," "Boss," "The Chicago Code," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Judge Jeanine Pirro" and "Cold Case Files."

In 2010, 25 films and nine TV series filmed in the state. Movies included "Source Code," "LOL," "The Vow," "The Dilemma," "Contagion," and "Bad Teacher." TV series include "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Chicago Code," "Cold Case Files," "Judge Mathis," "Giuliana & Bill," "Future Food" and "At the Movies."

The Illinois Film Production Tax Credit took effect on Jan. 1, 2009. The tax credit has no sunset and consists of 30 percent of the Illinois production spending for the taxable year, and 30 percent credit on Illinois salaries up to $100,000 per worker.

Source: Motion Picture Association of America (mpaa.org)

New Manager of the Iowa Film Office Revealed (now known as Produce Iowa)

Looks like the lonnnnnnnnnnnng wait for the Iowa film office to come back to life may be over.  Apparently, Liz Gilman will be the new manager of that office.  I believe that Liz runs Gilman Media Inc., which is a  Video Production & Taping Service located in West Des Moines, Iowa. The Iowa film office will be called Produce Iowa.

BULLETIN

BULLETIN: unnamed sources say the new manager of the Iowa film office will be announced today and that it is a female who will lead it.  Stay tuned.

The Best Kept Secret At The Iowa Capitol

*The Best Kept Secret At The Iowa Capitol
(*phrase credited to Jay)

Today Jay Villwock and I were joined by Dave Thrasher on our trip to the Iowa Capitol.  The first thing we did was engage in a casual conversation with the governor's office manager, Leo Hough, who said there are four pay grades for the job of manager of the Iowa film office and that this would be the basis for possible salary negotiations.  He said the job is an "at-will" job, not a contract arrangement.

A source within the Iowa legislature said he "heard" that the new IFO manager is a woman but had no other details to share.

We know from speaking with Senator Bill Dotzler and Rep. Dave Deyoe that the budget for the IFO is still alive and in a joint house/senate conference discussion.

What remains a mystery is the identity of the new Iowa film office manager.  The head of Iowa Cultural Affairs, Mary Cownie, revealed in recent weeks that she has made her selection, yet we are all still in the dark because not a peep has been made concerning who Mary has chosen.

Because the Iowa film office has been stagnant for four years, not dead, but in hibernation on some forgotten state of Iowa shelf, I sense that despite the best efforts of Senator Dotzler, the film industry is what a legislator called it when it was shut down, "Iowa's whipping boy", who has been comatose for far too long.  If the identity of the manager of the film office is not made public and if the film office continues to remain helplessly lifeless until the end of the current fiscal year, the funds allotted to the film office may likely be blown by being infused into various Iowa Cultural Affairs projects.  This would mean another year of going through this sluggish political process of ensuring proper funding and putting a film office manager to work.

Now you should better understand what Jay meant when he coined that little phrase.

We Know NOTHING!

I know there are many out there who want to know who is going to be the next manager of the Iowa Film Office and what the film office will do to improve their creative lives.  Jay Villwock and I went to the Iowa State House today and succeeded in discovering NOTHING.  We have contacted Iowa Cultural Affairs and a spokesman there didn't even claim to know anything.  We do know that the appropriations bill is now in a joint house/senate conference committee and that the money allotted for the IFO will likely be ample.  We know that our two top choices to head the IFO were rejected and that the future of film-making in Iowa will likely be limited to commercial work and independent tiny-budget films, if any.  The idea that Hollywood film-makers would come back to Iowa and bring jobs to actors and crew now seems like only a hopeful dream that has all but disappeared.  Tax incentives certainly will not come back into play for many years, and without them producers will go to states where there still are movie tax incentive programs in force.  (Photo shows how political craziness has taken a toll on Jay).

New Film Office Manager Is Known Now

I was all set to file yet another report about how the Iowa film office is likely to finally get an ample amount of money allocated for its budget (which is true), and that Jay and I talked to several legislators again today and with the governor's director of the office of management and budget (also true), but now I'm just going to say that the name of the new IFO manager will very likely be announced as early as tomorrow and that the names of our two top choices will not be uttered in that announcement. 

Today we were told by someone in very high authority that the film office will most likely focus on local projects, rather than bigger movie making activity.  Speaking for Jay and myself, we hope that whoever is named to head the IFO will work towards the  resumption of movie work for creative Iowans, even though such work will most likely be industrial films and commercials.

Thank you to Senator Bill Dotzler and Rep. David Deyoe.  You two have done so much to get funding for the film office and you were always there to speak with us and support us and the film industry here.

You Want Answers? You Want Answers?

Q: You Want Answers?
A: I think I'm entitled to them.
Q: You Want Answers?
A: I want the TRUTH!!!

Well, Jay and I aren't getting any answers and sometimes even the truth eludes us.  We went to the Iowa State House today.  Spoke with a few legislators and a governor staff member, but learned nothing.  We know that the bill concerning funding for the Iowa film office is in the Iowa House though.  We also know that applicants for that job were assured that they'd hear back by last week and have not heard a peep.

It's like trying to run in waist-high water, or having a dream where everything's in s-l-o-wwwwwww motion.

April Rains, Capitol Hopes

 

Normally when Jay and I get to the Iowa State House we immediately find a legislator and begin a discussion concerning the Iowa film office.  Today things were very quiet and unpopulated legislator-wise until we had wandered for one or two hours, but our wait paid off.  Our first encounter was with the Iowa senator from Waterloo, Bill Dotzler.

Senator Dotzler has spoken up for our film office cause from day one and now he is in his fourth year of doing his utmost to help us. It's been the same length of time for Jay and me, four long years of digging for answers and seeking support.  The senator said the appropriations bill which covers funding for the Iowa Film Office is now in the Iowa House and will go back to the senate and eventually to a joint conference where the appropriations bill will be approved.  Following this, the film office will be set to re-open, with just shy of what the governor recommended in his budget proposal, $400,000 to fund the film office.  The office will not open however, until a manager is announced, which is a long and crazy story in itself.

The amount for funding the IFO will not be less than $385,000, according to Rep. Dave Deyoe, who is the appropriations committee leader on the house side.  Presently the IFO has $185,000, and this would be carried over and added to the $200,000-$300,000 allocated to the film office, bringing the total to as little as $385,000 and as much as $485,000 if I understand this complicated situation correctly.

We heard from the governor's office manager, Leo Hough, that the governor would prefer to not interfere or micro-manage the cultural affairs office, which means the selection of the new IFO manager will be strictly in the hands of that department's director, Mary Cownie.

It's gray outside.  It's gray symbolically. Sunshine is welcomed so fresh things can grow again.

Craving Crazy Drama? Go Under The Dome!

Above: Gino, Sen. Dotzler, Jay/Below: with Rep. Deyoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drama Continues

April 4th.  Why have Jay and I gone up to the Iowa State House for four years now?  Well, Jay and I are just trying to uncover the facts on the matter of the Iowa Film Office.  We just want to be sure there will be enough funding for that office to run properly and that it will be headed by the most qualified person possible, such as someone with twenty years of successfully running the film office previously, someone who brought big movie makers to Iowa BEFORE the tax credits even began.  Someone with extensive Hollywood connections and friendships, a person who can start the process of regaining trust in our state. 

We find it very difficult to understand why the most obviously qualified person hasn't already been named manager of the film office.  We know who the governor's choice is, the same choice of top Iowa senators and representatives.  I will not use names, just initials: W. J.

Enough of the prelude.  Jay and I once again met with the Iowa film industry's strongest and most vocal proponent:  Senator Bill Dotzler.  We also met with Rep. Dave Deyoe, our most important ally in the Iowa House.Senator Dotzler said he learned that the money in the IFO from last year is up from the previously reported $100,000 to $185,000, just shy of the original $200,000 the Iowa House approved last year, half of what the governor and the senate recommended.  This fluctuating amount seems mysterious to me.  Senator Dotzler told us he made the IFO budget a line item in the current appropriations bill, meaning the full amount is to be strictly and solely used for film office business, including staffing.  Speaking of staffing, the new film office manager will definitely need an assistant.

We were told that the director of cultural affairs knows who the best choice for leading the film office is.  We know that key legislators and the governor have made their preference known.  We know that Senator Dotzler urged the director of cultural affairs to make a decision soon as to who will be the next IFO manager.

The appropriations bill is now in the Iowa House and then goes back and forth between the two chambers until a joint conference is held to finally approve the bill.

Stay tuned to this screen for more......   don't go away......    you may use the bathroom, but otherwise stay there.....

What's the Score?

The current Iowa legislative session is getting closer to the end.  This morning Jay and I once again met with several Iowa legislators and got conflicting views.  Without naming sources, we heard that the film office director's job may be announced this week or next, and that the leading candidate for that job is someone with years of experience.  We also heard that the bill pertaining to the film office allocation will leave the senate for the house by the end of this week, and that the amount for the film office will range from as little as $200,000, to as much as $400,000, as long as there is money to be carried over to the new budget.  There are active players in all of this in both the senate and the house. 

We were told that the director of cultural affairs hired a deputy director and that the Iowa Historical Museum gift shop has been closed because it was operating at a loss.  Thus, there appears to be activity within cultural affairs and the film office issue which is not being fully shared with us.

Will there indeed be money for the film office yet this fiscal year?  Of the $200,000, will any remain to re-launch the film office?  Will the announcement of the new film office director be delayed until after this fiscal year ends?  These are questions I have in my mind.  The answers are about to be revealed I am sure.

Murky Work At The Iowa Capitol

Four years of making the breathtaking (as in getting winded) walk up the steps to the Iowa State House.  The ups and downs, hope and despair, honesty and misdirection, a varied bouquet of experiences, all to stay on top of the revival of the Iowa Film Office!  And here we go again, Jay and I meeting with Iowa legislators to implement the idea that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  We do squeak and it looks like the film office may get some grease at last.

It didn't take long for us to bump into our chief ally, Senator Bill Dotzler.  He said the senate appropriations study bill would be discussed as early as today and certainly by the end of the week.  I referred to the bill in my previous report, the one which included details in funding of the film office.  A reminder: the film office will be housed in Cultural Affairs and in a new Arts Division there.  After discussion in the senate, this bill will go to the house and then zig zag until everyone agrees on the language within the bill, such as the amount of money to be allocated for the film office.  Last year $200,000 was allocated, half of what Governor Branstad wanted, and now we know that half of that $200,000 has been spent.  One source told us that $100,000 was spent on "film-related business", although the film office isn't even reopened yet.  Another source said the money was more generally absorbed within state offices. (Hence the word "Murky" in the title of this report).

In addition, Jay and I also spoke with Rep. Dan Kelley and Anesa Kajtazovic, both of whom repeated their support for our mission.  A key player in all of this, Rep. Dave Deyoe, indicated that the Iowa House would likely go along with the Iowa Senate's recommendations after all is said and done.  It isn't clear if the remaining $100,000 in last year's film office budget would be supplemented to a lower House sum or added to the $400,000  suggested by the senate. 

We were told by Rep. Deyoe that he understood that the new Iowa Film Office director would be named next week.

Once the film office reopens, the new director will face a monumental task, to regain trust and interest from Hollywood producers.  Without tax credits in play the new director will have to use other incentives to make movies here worthwhile and attractive, such as our beautiful locations and talented and hardworking creative people.

Stay tuned.

Gene

photo: Jay and Gino

Merrily We Go Again On The Capitol MerryGoRound

I carried a folder with me today to the Iowa State House.  I had rubber-stamped "UNIMPORTANT" in large red letters on the front and back of the folder.  When Jay and I spoke with legislators I would first show them this folder to lightheartedly indicate our awareness of our status.  Every one of them found this to be very funny, which made our conversations very easy and pleasant.

Jay and I wanted to better understand the proposed Senate Appropriations Subcommittee On Economic Development Bill, which contains recommended funding provisions for the Iowa Film Office, so we took our copy of this proposed bill to the legislative services office and spoke with the person who actually publishes these documents and asked her what the heck all of this stuff says in easy to understand terms.  This person, Amber DeSmet, said the proposed bill provides $400,000 for the film office and suggests that unused IFO funds be carried over to next year's film office budget.  The film office is now in the cultural affairs department within the "arts division".  Cultural affairs is led by Mary Cownie.

We met with our friend Senator Bill Dotzler, who is one of the leaders in the Iowa Senate in the effort to fund and revive the film office and who is a primary author of the bill just mentioned.  On the House side, Rep. Dave Deyoe is the most important figure in this matter and he met with us today as well.  Rep. Deyoe suggested that the House will likely approve $300,000 to fund the IFO, versus the governor's recommended $400,000, but that he would not oppose the carry-over of unused IFO funds, which he believed to be over $100,000.  The original amount of the IFO funding from last year was $200,000, so it appears some of the money was spent on something unrelated to the operation of the film office.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee On Economic Development Bill is presently in the hands of the Iowa senate and will next be taken to the Iowa House to amend or strike and then be returned to the Iowa Senate to resist or approve and then back to the House to insist and then to a joint House and Senate discussion.  Did you follow that?  Did you fall off of the merry-go-round yet?  You've got to be dizzy.  Jay and I are!!!

Four More Years! (of waiting? I hope not!!)

Okay, okay, shall I begin as I always do, that Jay and I went yet again to the Iowa Capitol Building in our continuing effort to keep track of what is to become of the Iowa Film Office?  Sure, Jay and I went yet again to the Iowa Capitol Building today.  We got there early, before eight a.m. and met several legislators, which we always seem to do during these Iowa State House visits.

We had a quick conversation with  Senator Jack Hatch who has always voiced his support for we creative Iowans, and which he did again today.  Rep. Dave Deyoe spoke with us and told us he was fully behind the increase in the IFO budget.  Rep. Deyoe is one of the main players in this film office business on the House side.  Speaking of the House side, we enjoyed meeting with Rep. Dan Kelley of Newton, where films have been shot and many Iowans were employed by film-makers several years back.  Rep. Kelley has been a supporter from the beginning of his young legislative career.

Our strongest and most influential supporter is Senator Bill Dotzler from Waterloo.  Before convening a meeting in the former Iowa Supreme Court room, a meeting to discuss the Proposed Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development Bill, a "bill for an act relating to appropriations to the department of cultural affairs" and more, the senator granted an interview with Iowa WHO Radio reporter Richard Lee.  I listened closely as Senator Dotzler spoke of the importance of movie making in this state, that movie making creates jobs and brings financial rewards to communities in which movies are made.  He spoke of how the film industry employs creative Iowans and brings Iowa into focus as an interesting place to visit as a tourist destination.  Following this radio interview Senator Dotzler opened the appropriations meeting.

Most of the meeting pertained to matters other than the film industry, such as funding the continued repair of Iowa Civil War battle flags, supporting the World Food Prize, Workforce Development, Job Training, and more.  Although Jay and I could not see any reference to the film office in the appropriations report, Senator Dotzler spoke at the meeting of how the governor's recommended sum of $400,000 should be implemented because of the cost of restarting the film office, including the expenses of buying computers and furniture and recreating a locations file and production guide.  He said funds presently in the IFO would be carried over to next year's film office budget.

Following the meeting, Senator Dotzler pointed out to Jay and myself the specific section in the planned bill that covers the film office budget.  This bill will now go to the senate floor and on to the house.  As I understand it, this  matter will be discussed next week.  Jay and I speak English.  We don't speak that legalese mumbo-jumbo, so when we review bills and investigate scheduled committee meeting agendas it's like trying to read a foreign language!

If you are a creative Iowan, someone who loves to act or who loves to work on the other side of the camera, or if you're someone who wants to see Iowa's cultural image improve, I suggest you email your Iowa legislators and tell them how important YOU think movie-making is for this state and for many Iowans.

(photo shows Senator Dotzler being interviewed by WHO Radio's Richard Lee.  Note Jay doing a "photo bomb" in the background).

Iowa Film Office Closer To Reopening

Yet another excursion to the Iowa State House, home of the Big Golden Dome. We were immediately met by our ally, Senator Bill Dotzler, Jr., of Waterloo. Senator Dotzler is Senate Chairman of the Economic Development Budget Subcommittee and has served on other important committees and always stands for we members of the Iowa film industry and is readily available when Jay and I make our Iowa Capitol visits. On the other side in the Iowa House of Representatives, we were able to meet with the House Chairman of the above mentioned committee, Rep. Dave Deyoe, and vice chairman Rep. Bobby Kauffmann, who both indicated they were comfortably on board with increasing the Iowa film office budget from the current $200,000 to the governor's original suggested sum of $400,000. Rep. Deyoe said he wanted to be sure the film office has ample money to properly run and said Cultural Affairs Director Mary Cownie would be in charge of deciding how any funds would be used in her department. He also said Cownie is still interviewing candidates for the job of Iowa Film Office Director and that he expects a director to be named in a few weeks. Co-chairman Rep. Kaufmann said initial reaction to the $400,000 amount was that it is a good amount to get the IFO amply supported. We chatted briefly with other Iowa House Representatives, including Anesa Kajtazovic,Deborah Berry, and Peter Cownie. All of these legislators indicated that they approve of the increased IFO funding amount. The Director of Management and Budget, David Roederer, came by as we were perched at a table and spoke with us. He's in an important position in the governor's staff and is very much behind us and always has been. Last year the House was against the governor's recommended IFO funding sum of $400,000, and only half of that was allowed. The film office has not been active for going on four years and the $200,000 will be absorbed in the general Iowa funds unless the film office opens before July 1st. Stay tuned. (photo show Jay Villwock, Senator Dotzler, and myself.. we are in our determined pose).

Just #^*&#%^ DO It! (Please)

If anyone out there is an actor or a crew person I hope they will simply email their representative AND senator and stress that the Iowa Film Office is vital for Iowa's CREATIVE ECONOMY because film-making means not only jobs for we creative actors and crew but income for whole towns and industries when movies are shot in their communities. It's easy to email legislators. Just go to Google and get the email addresses and off you go!! Letters to the D M Register wouldn't hurt, either. photo: Medium Me, Senator Dotzler, Tall Jay

Our Fourth Year of Capitol Visits!!

Hard to believe, but today's visit to the Iowa Capitol Building marks the fourth year that Jay Villwock and I have gone there to meet with legislators and leading officials in the governor's office. We were able to speak with senators Joe Bolkcom, Bill Dotzler, Jack Hatch, and Brad Zaun. We also met with high-ranking staff members in the governor's office. Bottom line: 1. hundreds and hundreds of applications for the job of Iowa Film Office director have yet to be reviewed; 2. the film office is expected to re-open before July 1, the end of the current fiscal year; 3. it appears likely that the present IFO budget of $200,000 will be increased to $400,000 for the next fiscal year. This slow pace is intended to avoid making even the smallest mistakes, with extreme caution being exercised so another film office disaster will be averted. It was so great to team up with Jay again today. He is well respected at the capitol and is excellent in interacting with legislators and others. Stay tuned. Jay and I plan to make another trip soon. pictured: Gene, Rep. Dan Kelley, Jay Villwock