 | |||||||||||||||
Above: Gino, Sen. Dotzler, Jay/Below: with Rep. Deyoe |
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.....
Hello. I interviewed for this office with the extreme excitement to come home and blossom my career with Iowa's soon-to-be thriving film/tv/commercial industry. My work history includes working for Harrison Ford, Sugar Ray Leonard, top producers and top directors. My digital rolodex holds numbers for countless agents and studio executives. My job excellence has taken me to tax incentive areas such as Atlanta, Budapest and Montreal. Along with my resume, I submitted a glowing letter of recommendation (for this office) from the EVP of Feature Production at 20th Century Fox. I'm 38 years old, interracially mixed and from Ankeny, Iowa. I thought I'd be the perfect face and new Film Commissioner for the State of Iowa. Unfortunately, they passed on me.
ReplyDelete