The Florida Film & Entertainment Advisory Council meeting was called to order by the Council's Vice-Chair at 12:15 pm

ATTENDANCE:
Vice Chair: Paul Meena

Members present:
Hollis Batchelor/Jeff Peel/Bo Taff/Arlene Herson/Frank Nocera/Patrick Keating/Dr. Lew Klechak/Mary Hinton/Dawn Guzzetta/Lucia Fishburne/Rebecca D. Mattingly

Members absent:
J. Ronald Castell (Excused)/Jasper Balance (Unexcused)/Don Ungarit, Ph.D (Excused)/Daphne Boyd (Excused)/Barry Plans (Excused)/ Bob Allen (Excused)

Staff:
Audrey L. Anderson/Robert Grimm/Susan Simms (Los Angeles Liaison)

Guest:
Todd Roobin (Jacksonville Film Commissioner/President of Film Florida)/Katie Waters/Bonnie King (Space Coast Film Commissioner)/Judy McDonald (Staff Director House Tourism Committee)/Mary Anna Murphy (Film Florida)/Steve Gagnon (President of Gravity Entertainment)/Bill Ferguson/Glenn Newland (Vice President, Continental Film/Video)/ Chuck Elderd (Palm Beach County Film Commission)/Kathy Ramsberger (Metro Orlando Film Commission)

New Business:
The meeting was called to order by the Council's Vice-Chair, Paul Meena with a roll call of all members. The Vice-Chair reminded council members of the attendance policy, three unexcused absence are grounds for dismissal.

The first order of business was elections of committee officers (Chair and Vice-Chair). Mr. Meena stated that he would not like to be nominated, or continue serving as Vice-Chair again, but he would like to continue as a productive member of the Council. He indicated that he did not know what Chairman R. Castell's pleasure was.

Dr. Lew Klechek called for discussion.

Dr. Klechek stated Mr. Meena would make a great Chair and that it is standard succession protocol for the Vice Chair to assume the Chair position.

Mr. Meena stated that February is the coming year where we nominate a new Chair and Vice Chair as well as the various heads of the different committees. R. Mattingly sent an email out to everyone about nominations so that they would have sometime to think about whom they would like to nominate. Dr. Lew Klechek stated that he thought that once the Chair's term was up, the Vice-Chair would become the chair and that Paul Meena (Vice-Chair) would make a great chair. Mr. Meena stated that it would not be feasible to continue his roll as Vice-Chair because of time constraints and responsibilities of his profession.

A. Herson and M. Hinton stated that there were not enough members attending this meeting today to take a vote and we should give the members more time to give some thought to which they would like for their council Chair and Vice-Chair. J.Peel asked if there was any response to the email that Rebecca sent out? R. Mattingly stated that we really didn't ask for a response other than whom the members wanted to nominate.

M. Hinton made the motion to postpone election of Chair and Vice-Chair until the next meeting.

P. Meena agreed that voting should be postponed until the next full board meeting; however, between now and the next meeting, he requested that each member email their recommendations for Chair and Vice-Chair to the OFE.

A. Herson seconded the motion.

Motion carried.

The OFE informed the Council that six seats would expire this year, each open for reappointment or appointment of a new member. Two terms expire in July; two terms expire in August, and two terms expire in October. The Governor, Senate President, and the Speaker of the House make council appointments.

New Business:
P. Meena asked for an approval of the November 9, 2001 meeting minutes.

M. Hinton motioned for approval.

Dr. Klechak seconded.

Motion carried.

Honorary Council Membership:
R. Mattingly suggested that the Council consider new by-law language to create Honorary Membership level. This new level of membership would allow for notable industry leaders to sit on the Council in an honorary, non-voting position. Further, Honorary Members would advise, assist on an as needed basis, and be someone we could put on our letterhead who's affiliated with this body. This issue was discussed with the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee came up with the title of "Member of Distinguished Honor" for this new membership category.

P. Meena (Vice-Chair) opened the floor for discussion.

R. Mattingly stated that maybe we should extend the "Member of Distinguished Honor" to people who were born/raised or lived in Florida, but do not live here any longer.

P. Meena stated that adding "Florida-born" or "Florida-raised" would broaden the base for membership. It was also be a good idea when nominating someone for this seat, it is explained why they would be a good candidate for this seat on the board.

The Council reviewed proposed new membership language provided by R. Grimm.

A motion by J. Peel was made to strike "No more than four (4) nominees may be designated as a Member of Distinguished Honor per calendar year."

Seconded by F. Nocera.

Motion carried.

Motion by D. Guzetta was made to change "a Florida resident" to "limited to Florida Friendly professional or scholars."

Seconded by A. Herson.

Motion carried.

Motion was made by H. Batchelor to strike "Proxy attendance shall be allowed on a limited basis with the Chair and Executive Committee providing oversight to proxy attendance."

Seconded by Dr. Klechek.

Motion carried.

Motion by J. Peel was made to strike "Membership shall last indefinitely, and" replace it with Recognized members although not required to attend shall be invited to all meetings and receive all meeting handouts and materials. (subject to Art. VII-Standards of Ethical Conduct adhered to by Council appointees).

Seconded by M. Hinton.

P. Meena stated that if anyone would like to nominate as a "Member of Distinguished Honor" they should send the names of that person along with a statement about why the should be a member to OFE by the end of March. The OFE will place this item on the FFEAC next meeting agenda for discussion.

P. Meena stated that there are standing Council committees that each member can elect to serve on. Those committees are: Executive, Marketing, Legislative, Education, and Communications.

The question of establishing another committee was brought forth (by whom?)

R. Mattingly suggested that perhaps another committee could be created featuring the presidents of the major industry trade groups in the state -- FMPTA, Film Florida, AICP, Women in Film and others. These presidents could bring to the table information and issues concerning their organizations. The Chair has the authority to create additional ad-hoc committees.

P. Meena stated that since these are open meetings, those presidents could attend on their own, or request that they be on the agenda to discuss their organizations information/issues, as well.

Dr. Klechek stated that it would be a good idea for the Executive board to discuss expanding the number of Ex-Officio members and bring this issue back to the full Council during the next meeting.

R. Mattingly stated that the Governor forwarded a letter to Mr. Burt Reynolds regarding the "Member of Distinguished Honor" level. Mr. Reynolds was appointed to this board and is someone we want to keep as a member, but he is unable to attend meetings. He is a Florida icon and an industry legend. The Governor asked Mr. Reynolds if he would be interested in being the first appointee to this new position and Mr. Reynolds graciously accepted. This means that his regular membership seat will be open and will be filled by another appointee by the Governor.

Legislation - Verbal presentation by Robert Grimm:
A letter was sent to Senator Diaz de la Portilla re: meeting with Senate Commerce Committee about State agencies using out-of-state- production companies and advertising companies. What came out of that was that there would be more of an attempt by state agencies to use Florida-based production entities.

SB1198 was recently filed which addresses the issues of state agencies utilizing Florida-based production and advertising entities to perform production and advertising services. At the present time this bill has no companion in the House.

Senator McKay's tax reform bill CS1106, which the Senate has passed all issues relating to that and is now in the House. Senator McKay's tax reform bill would be harmful to our industry because it would take away the only incentive that we currently have to offer for companies coming to the state to do business.

R. Grimm further stated that the Legislature needs to know that we are in support of SB2242 (Senator Burt Saunders) and HB1647 (Representative Don Davis). These are incentive bills that would provide a 10% rebate on all Florida-based production expenditures. Both bills would require $10 or $20 million appropriation.

H. Batchelor stated that television commercials were not in the bill and if we could add them that would also aid in bringing even more business back to the state.

M. Hinton moved that FFEAC compose a letter in support of the aforementioned legislation and in support of Commissioner Rebecca Mattingly's accomplishments over the last two years and the great work that she and her staff have done. This letter should be sent to the Governor and to all Legislators.

Dr. Klechek seconded the motion.

H. Batchelor agreed to draft the letter.

Motion carried.

Office of Film & Entertainment Performance & Production Activity Update
R. Mattingly stated that in the last six months over 200 leads/opportunity for productions to come to Florida were generated. Commercials were not as high as they usually are. We are about 20% off with production from where we were last year. Canada remains our strongest competitor.

Update on IA Commercial Contract initiative & Council Next Steps
At the request of the Executive Committee, R. Mattingly provided an update on negotiations between the International Alliance of Theatrical & Stage Employees (IATSE) and South Florida commercial producers known as the "Lunch Club."

Further, the Executive Committed asked R. Mattingly to confirm the legality of the FFEAC advising and presenting recommendations to labor organizations within the industry. R. Mattingly stated that as per EOG lawyers, the FFEAC has the authority to advise and make recommendations; however, there is to be no involvement with negotiation of any contracts.

R. Mattingly stated that in a follow up call with Mr. Mike McCarthy (Business manager, Local IA 477), Mr. McCarthy informed her that they have finished negotiations and there is an agreement now. People are now being signed up in the "Lunch Club."

M. Hinton stated that she does not think that it would be a good idea for the FFEAC to make recommendations of daily rates. It should be between the producer's group and the unions.

P. Meena stated that the goals are to bring the unions and the FFEAC together so that there is more understanding of whatever is being negotiated and agreed upon. This is to serve the best interests of the industry by providing them with necessary information.

H. Batchelor stated that he would be interested in having a seminar with all of the unions, producers, and production managers to educate them about the contracts and rates cards.

Steve Gagnon (Guest, Gravity Entertainment) stated that unions are here to stay and they are needed because they have all of the professional crews. We (Gravity Entertainment) have decided to make union studio deals. So when producers come to Gravity they do not have to go to Film office or anyone else for help, because we are going to cut the deal with them directly.

Recap of Miami-Dade Mayor's Summit on Economic Development - Verbal Presentation by Jeff Peel
In response to the economic downturn after September 11th the Mayor of Miami-Dade brought various community leaders together to try and figure out some solutions to getting the entertainment industry back on track. We did a breakdown of how much production has taken place in South Florida in the last twenty (20) years. Over the years productions have increased greatly in the South Florida area and then in 2000-2001 it just drops like a rock.

In 1995 South Florida issued over 5000 permits and this was continuous until 1998 we drop slightly below to 4955. Then in 2000 we dropped to 4200 and last year we dropped to 3500 permits. With revenue coming into the community it as stayed around + or - $200 million from location production until last year. We dropped to $154 million.

One of the recommendations is to more aggressive marketing. This has already started with the OFE's ADFED and AICP via "Production Partners" program. This will keep some of the business in the state with local advertising agencies using local production companies to do their work.

The second recommendation was the protection of current tax incentives in place and the creation of new tax incentives. Another recommendation was the issue of workforce and the need for education, to support the educational program K-12, community college, and universities to train the workforce for the jobs that are being created now and for the jobs that are going to be created over the next five (5) to ten (10) years.

Film Commissioner's Handbook - Verbal Presentation by R. Mattingly
The Guide to Florida's Film Commissions handbook was the result of the research that we conducted in 1999-2000 to get a better understanding of what our clients expect from our Film Offices when they come to Florida with productions. The study found that Florida needed to improve the service, response and support provided by its film commissions, essentially. The OFE, with the help of an ad-hoc committee from the film Florida Film Commissioner's Council led by Jeff Peel (Miami-Dade), created a document that set a very high standard for the way film commissions would operate in the State of Florida, how the OFE would operate, how the local offices will interact with the State Film Office and how we will all interact with our clients. This handbook will be published in the coming months for statewide distribution.

Florida Film Educators Even Exchange - Verbal Presentation by R. Mattingly:
Our first annual forum of film and media educators from K-12, College/University level, Private/Public held at the University of Central Florida. Co-sponsored by Universal Studios and the Metro Orlando Office of Film and Television as sponsors in February, the forum was a success. Approximately 60 or more high school and college teachers from around the state attended. There were two panels: K-12 issues were discussed on one panel and what are our film school going to look like in ten (10) years and what we as film schools and film teachers want to be. The only negative feedback that we received to date was to provide more time during the panel discussion. The OFE intends to conduct this forum annually at a different college/university.

Production Partners - Verbal Presentation by R. Mattingly:
For two years R. Grimm worked to bring this project together and from his efforts came our newest program "Production Partners." This program, led by local film offices and local Ad Fed chapters, is a grassroots effort to close the gap between the advertising industry and the production industry. The goal is get together and have dialogue to talk about how we can better work together and see the film commission as a resource for advertising agencies in our state. The kickoff of the program took place in December at the Orlando Ad Fed chapter meeting and it was very well received. We got a lot of media from around the state.

Naples is planning to host the District 4 Florida Ad Fed Chapter meeting in May, and Miami Beach will host the National Ad Fed Conference. Florida should have a major presents at this conference to show just how together and how well organized we are. We are now working with the Film Commissioners council, headed by Jeff Peel to put together an expo. This expo will be so that every film office in the state can be there and give away product like a mini tradeshow at this national conference.

Discounts & Deals - Verbal Presentation presented by R. Mattingly:
Discounts & Deals will officially launch this month (February). It is a vendor promotional program. We plan to do quarterly mail outs with adding new advertisings and categories. We will also be promoted this at AFM along with the tax exemption. This is also on our website. The Governor sent letters to every vendor in the production guide urging them to participate in this program.

American Film Market 2002 - Verbal Presentation by R. Mattingly:
AFM is a large film market that takes place every year in Los Angeles and for the first time in a number of years they are allowing film commissions to be in the heart of the exhibit. This year they have only selected five and Florida is one of the five. Florida Film Commissions will exhibit from February 23 - 27, 2002 in the Lowes ball room. On February, Universal, Continental Film Labs, and Orlando Film Office will host a happy hour reception/get together for our key clients.

Bi-Annual Industry Economic Assessment - Verbal Presentation by R. Mattingly:
It is time to complete the bi-annual economic assessment of the motion picture industry sector. We are developing a draft RFP that we hope to make public in May.

J. Peel asked if the RFP would be the same as last time.

L. Fishburne and Jeff Peel volunteered to help prepare the RFP for a firm to do the next economic assessment research.

2Q & 3Q 2002 Marketing Plan - Verbal Presentation by R. Mattingly:
We have many events coming up between now and June (ADFED, Festival, Tradeshows, Ad buys, and possibly another in theater movie run of the 30 second spot.)

Chuck Elderd stated that he received positive feedback from his community and leadership and local media on the 30-second in theatre promo, which ran in Florida theatres between December 25 and January 11, 2002. . Two major affiliate news organizations to ran the spot on the air and conducted stories. Elderd further stated "we got great exposure on the screen, but the local exposure was great. It was a well-done job."

R. Mattingly indicated that the next buy for this spot could potentially be Memorial Day weekend in 2002, if our budget allows for it. Two Orlando-based production companies, Hartley Johnson Productions and Visual Flux, produced the spot.

Guest Steve Gagnon, Gravity Entertainment:
R. Mattingly stated that she meet with Steve Gagnon her first year as Film Commissioner during a meeting that she facilitated for him with Enterprise Florida and Office of Tourism Trade and Economic Development (OTTED). Mr. Gagnon learned about the incentives and what was available in the State of Florida. Ms. Dawn Guzzetta, who is Gravity's Public Relations specialist and now a member of the FFEAC, thought that it would be good for Mr. Gagnon to introduce them and set the record straight about Gravity Entertainment.

Steve Gagnon, Gravity Entertainment stated the following:
"Gravity has been around for about four (4) years. We chose South Florida as the place to build our studio because we like it and many great projects have come out of Florida. Building a sound stage of the magnitude that we wanted to would have collapsed in about 24 months. There is not enough business that is walking through the boarder to build it. Once an infrastructure (people and financing) or what I see as an infrastructure people will come. When the feature film "Bully" came to us they didn't have half their money and this is before Universal got involved, we stepped up and co-financed the movie and the movie got made. We have another movie that we are doing right now called "Safe." It was originally set to shoot in downtown Los Angeles. I said that if Gravity is going to be the lead financer, we want to shoot the movie in South Florida and they agreed.

We have started to interview crews in our Florida office and we are bringing few people here other than the director and the DP. We spent millions of dollars promoting our company to see if it would work and we've spent most of our time now promoting it in Florida, because we knew it would work in Florida the rest of the world would by it. Union rates are ok (and we have not had a problem with them), because we sit down with them from start.

We have been keeping Gravity quiet for the past year and the press release that came out was not released by us and we didn't want it out there. It was written against us because we are stepping on some toes, because we auctioned on a different piece of property than we originally had. It was a better property, much more conducive and closer to Miami and works much better. In the next couple of months you are going to see a lot of news about Gravity and it's going to come out of the Hollywood market place.

We just bought a record label and we partnered 50% joint venture with Fender Guitar to make a record label and we partnered with Warner Brothers out of Rhino. The gentleman who is running that division's name is Spencer Crowfer, who has made 92 feature films, won the Academy Award for the soundtrack "Gods and Monsters" and he is running our music division. We also just hired John Vinnedge who used to own All American, and the show "Bay watch." John now heads up our television company. We already have two pilots; one is a golf show with Norm Crosby who is our partner and a Spanish television show, which was shoot in NBC studio. John has some television shows that we are looking to bring back to Florida.

Gravity went from being a studio to being a real studio, which is now financing projects. We co-finance every deal we get into. We usually like to put up 50-60% so we control the intellectual property. We will try to bring every project we can to Florida. Our next three projects we are lined up to shoot in South Florida one after the other with budgets in the range from $5 - $20 million.

We have four (4) television shows with MTV, a deal with Paula Abdul, we are making a deal with Mark Walburg which will begin shooting in October. We are a Florida based company and we remain that. We advertise as a Florida based company. We have offices in Los Angeles, New York and Paris."

Bo Taff made the statement that as long as we view Florida as a "destination" rather than "the center of," we are always going to try to attract temporary business, verses longer term business. Florida has so much going for it and we want to continue to elevate the vision, as Rebecca is doing.

R. Mattingly thanked Mr. Gagnon for his presentation.

Public Comment
M. Hinton stated that on April 15, 2002 Palm Beach County would conduct its annual Student showcase as part of the Palm Beach County Film Festival.

The next meeting date:
Since the next Film Florida's annual meeting will be held in Sarasota, June 10th and 11th, it make sense to hold the next FFEAC quarterly meeting at this time as well.

A motion was made by Dr. Lew Klechek to have the next meeting in Sarasota and the meeting after that in Jacksonville.

J. Peel seconded.

Motion carried.

A motion was made by the P. Meena to adjourn.

Seconded by Mary Hinton.

Meeting Adjourned.

Respectfully Submitted-Audrey L. Anderson

* For a detailed account of the discussion, please contact Audrey L. Anderson.