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 Greetings!
It is with mixed feelings that I am announcing that I will be leaving the Colorado Office of Film. Television & Media on February 15. I am sad because I have not accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish but I am glad because of the progress we have made, the friendships I have established, and some of the opportunities that are being presented to me. Over the past five years I believe that we have made a number of significant advances in the visibility and the viability of the Colorado production community. However, there is still a long road ahead of the Colorado production community in reaching the production levels that we would all like to see and that we are capable of reaching. In my time with the film office I have met a tremendous amount of truly fantastic people in the Colorado production community and I hope to be able to work with many of you in the future. When I began volunteering with the Colorado Film Commission in 2005, after moving from California, the Film Commission was just getting re-started after several years of being dormant. Since then the office has seen many changes including the addition of two wonderful staff members. I am proud to have worked closely with Marcia Morgan and Laura Grey and I would like to thank them for their support and friendship over the past several years. Without their efforts the film office would not be where it is today. When I became the Executive Director of the Colorado Film Commission, the Board of Directors established two major goals for the office and we have accomplished both of those goals.Their mandate to me was to work closely with members of the legislature to create a film incentive program in Colorado and to return the office to state government.We have been able to do both of those goals in very trying economic times. While the incentive program is not where any of us would like it to be, we have made major improvements to the program over the past few years.We have expanded the types of productions the incentive covers to include commercials and video game development and to remove the major obstacles that prevented it from being utilized by the industry. When the economy improves I truly believe it will be easier to expand the existing program than to create it from scratch. The question legislators will be discussing is how to fund the program and how much funding should it be given rather than do we need an incentive program at all. Colorado is a great place for production.We have a strong production infrastructure, great crews, and wonderful talent.We just need to give the production companies a reason to shoot here rather than other states or countries. I would like to thank each of you for your support over the past five years. Working together we have made a difference and your continued involvement will make a difference in the future. Kevin |
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From the Executive Director: E-Newsletters and our Strategic Plan
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 For seven months we've been working to integrate the Film Office into the new Creative Industries Division of the state Office of Economic Development. During this time we put "In Focus" on hiatus and encouraged you to subscribe to Colorado Creates e-news and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Lately we've heard there is still a desire for targeted news about Colorado film locations, businesses and activities, so we're relaunching "In Focus". We promise to keep each issue brief and worth your while. We're a small crew, so we also need your help in collecting news to share. If you know of a great production location or an interesting film-related business, please email our Locations and Community Specialist, Laura Grey (laura.grey@state.co.us).
By the way, we hope you will keep your subscription to Colorado Creates e-news, which provides news and information about Colorado's entire creative sector, which at last count included over 8,000 businesses and 186,000 jobs. The monthly "Colorado Creates" shares funding and networking opportunities, promotes professional development events and education activities, and highlights community investments in Colorado's creative sector.
Mission Critical: Promote, Support and Grow Colorado's Creative Industries
In December and January we presented our Division's new 2011-2014 strategic plan at 11 community meetings. The plan identifies five program priorities to help drive Colorado's economy, grow jobs and improve our quality of life:
- Increase access to direct financial support for creatives
- Increase professional development and networking opportunities
- Promote Colorado as a premier creative hub
- Increase access to arts and creativity skills in preschool through college education and workforce development.
- Stimulate increased support for creatives by local governments and coalitions
These priorities will guide our budget decisions. For example, increasing direct financial support includes maintaining and growing Colorado's film incentive, which to-date has provided cash rebates totaling over $150,000 supporting four productions. A fifth incentive contract is close to pay out, and another 11 applications are in the queue. In total, we are administering $1.3 million in incentives supporting almost 600 jobs. Clearly, we need to replenish the fund and grow its impact.
We are also investing directly in professional development by providing scholarships for creative entrepreneurs to attend courses at Small Business Development Centers in select communities. And in March, we start promoting Colorado as a premier creative hub via a new ColoradoCreates.com website which will showcase Colorado creatives. It will be truly "open source" and you'll be able to post your own creative content, so stay tuned! To learn more, you can access the full strategic plan on the Creative Industries website at www.coloarts.org.
Sadly, we say goodbye this month to Kevin Shand, who worked diligently and successful to restore the state's investment in film and media production. Thanks, Kevin, for your hard work and commitment to Colorado's creative community!
I look forward to working more closely with the film, television, game design and digital media businesses of Colorado. Please send me your thoughts and ideas for promoting and supporting your efforts: elaine.mariner@state.co.us or 303.892.3870.
Elaine Mariner
Executive Director
Colorado Creative Industries
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Representative Tom Massey is introducing legislation to grow Colorado's film incentive fund by creating a ten-cent fee on all movie tickets sold in the state. It is estimated that this fee could raise several million dollars per year to encourage production in Colorado in the areas of feature films, television, commercial and video game development. To-date, the legislature has allocated a pool of approximately $1.5 million from Colorado's "limited gaming fund" to provide performance-based film incentives. Incentive applications already received by the Office of Film, Television and Media will nearly exhaust the available dollars, and there is no current method in place to replenish the fund. "With an expected budget shortfall of over $1 billion for the next fiscal year, this is the only real chance of having significant funds allocated to the incentive fund," Representative Massey explained. If Rep. Massey's bill were to become law, Colorado would likely be the first state in the nation to fund its incentive program with a user fee. A second bill will also be introduced shortly to correct a technical issue that limits the ability of the Film Office to pay out incentives using carryover funds from previous years. As mentioned above, the Film Office has applications in hand that will fully utilize the current fund, supporting almost 600 jobs. This bill will be carried by the Joint Budget Committee and is expected to move through the legislature quickly once it is introduced. A third bill that will impact the Creative Industries has been already been introduced by Representative Joe Miklosi. His bill, HB11-1031, would allow for the designation of Creative Districts in Colorado. The bill responds to the current trend of "creative placemaking" as a strategy for economic development and sustainability. The criteria that will be established will help towns and cities identify and understand their community's unique creative assets and develop plans to promote and develop those assets as a strategy for increased economic and social value. Creative locales foster entrepreneurs and cultural industries that generate jobs and income, spin off new products and services, and attract and retain unrelated businesses and skilled workers. The bill passed in committee and will soon be introduced on the House floor. |
DiMe: Digital Media Symposium Febrary 18
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 Join us for DiMe: Digital Media Symposium on February 18 at 1 p.m. at St. Julien Hotel, 900 Walnut Street in Boulder. DiMe is Colorado's premier entertainment-based digital media event and is held as part of the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF).The event features panels of film, media and game design experts who will stimulate, inspire and solidify the creative industries in Colorado. Due to the success of last year's inaugural DiMe, 2011 offers an expanded two panels. Digital Distribution and MonetizationWhere's innovation in entertainment headed in 2011? If there's a screen of any size, these speakers will find a way to get content on it. Panelists: Shira Lazar - Web personality, Disrupt/Group Ann Van Orsdel - President, The1stMovement Peter Roberts - VP Digital Development, Starz!Digital David Slayden - Director, Boulder Digital Works Andrew Steele - Chief Creative Officer, Funny or Die Julian Farrior - Founder and CEO, Backflip Studios The Future of 3D In 2011 3D's going from gimmick to gold. Catch a sneak peek at what the brightest national and local minds in digital entertainment are doing. Panelists: Joshua Greer - Co-Founder and COO, RealD Don Hahn - Producer, Disney Kurt Hall - Chairman/CEO/President, National CineMedia Mark Lyons - President and Chief Technology Officer, Idol Minds Richard Buchanan - Vice President and GM Content Operations and Engineering, Comcast Media Center DiMe begins at 1 p.m., followed by a cash bar reception with complimentary hors d'oeuvres at 6 p.m. DiMe is a collaboration between the Boulder International Film Festival, Colorado Creative Industries and the Boulder Convention & Visitor's Bureau. Tickets for DiMe are $50 in advance at $65 at the door. Students are only $40. Tickets can be purchased online at www.dimeboulder.com or by calling 303-786-7030.
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 The CinemaLab is a full-service motion picture laboratory located in Englewood, Colorado. The facility processes and prints both 16mm and 35mm color and black and white film. They provide services to everyone from famous cultural heritage institutions and major motion picture studios to student filmmakers and families with home movies. Their clients are throughout the United States and around the globe. They are experts in restoring, preserving, converting, transferring, processing and printing moving images. They also have a screening room. It's an excellent place to show 16mm and 35mm prints to clients or small groups. Restoration projects have been completed on behalf of The George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Universal Studios, Anthology Film Archives and The New York Public Library. http://thecinemalab.com
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 Colorado Office of Film, Television and MediaColorado Creative Industries
Office of Economic Development and International Trade
1625 Broadway Street, 27th Floor
Denver, Colorado 80202
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