Florida Film & Entertainment Advisory Council

Legislative Committee Conference Call

September 20, 2005

 

 

Members Present                                                                  Members Not Present

Hollis Batchelor, Chairman                                                        Leslie Ann Bartlett

Todd Roobin, Co-Chair                                                           Daphne Boyd
Rebecca O'Dell Townsend                                                       John Welch
Paul Meena
Marty Wilson                                                                           Public
Bud Nocera                                                                             Judy McDonald
Lorraine Wood                                                                         Margie Menduni

Mark Zubaly                                                                            Krista Soroka
                                                                                                Alec Colley

                                                                                                Mara Guerevitz

 

Office of Film & Entertainment  

Paul Simmons

Raquel Cisneros                                                                      

                                                                                               

 

The Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council’s Legislative Committee conference call was called to order on September 20, 2005, at 2:05 p.m.

 

Chairman Hollis Batchelor began the meeting by providing an overview of the Film Florida Legislative Committee meeting.  Items that were brought up for discussion were:

 

Permanent Film Fund - Hollis suggested appointing a committee dedicated to researching means for a permanent film fund like the state of New Mexico has created.  Committee members would include a mix of advisory council members, Film Florida members and other industry people.  Hollis will discuss in more detail during the quarterly meeting in Amelia Island. 

 

Additional Incentive Funding – Provided indication of seeking either $20 or $30 million for the next fiscal years financial incentive. 

 

Commercial Production Incentive - Hollis and Mara Guerevitz discussed including Steve Kaplan, Vice President of External Affairs for the Association of Independent Producers, to provide advice in writing legislation for commercial production incentives.  Hollis described an example of a commercial production demonstrating a cumulative amount of Florida-based production expenses throughout a given year and seeking reimbursement from the state of Florida once production is complete.  The overall goal was to provide an incentive to attract on-going commercial production and advertising agencies.  The Legislative Committee decided this item would be assigned to a committee determined during the next quarterly meeting in Amelia Island.  Motion made by Todd Roobin, second by Lorraine Wood, motion passed unanimously. 

 

Talent Agency Deregulation - Hollis and Paul Meena agreed that the Talent Agency Committee would be reformed to attend to matters left lingering from previous years.  Hollis mentioned that Tammy Green with the Green Agency has agreed to reach out to licensed talent agents to gather comments and feedback as to the major concerns affecting their industry.  Completion date to gather all the information was estimated to be December, in time for the fourth quarter advisory council meeting.  Once the information is gathered, the Talent Agent Committee, along with the State Film Commissioner, would open discussion with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. 

 

After discussion on the abovementioned items was complete, Hollis opened the floor for discussion on other items pending with the industry.

 

Paul Meena reiterated the figures that the industry was seeking, $20 or $30 million, for the Entertainment Industry Financial Incentive came from Speaker Bense and Representative Don Davis respectively. 

 

Paul Meena also addressed the idea on how to look ahead and seek funds for long-term television series’ that cross over fiscal years.  The NBC series Surface was given as an example as a production Florida lost to North Carolina due mostly in part because of the other states ability to promise funds from a future fiscal year. 

 

Discussion on future Legislative Committee meetings arose.  Another meeting was not set, rather Hollis will provide a report based on the discussions of this committee’s meeting, and present it at the Film Florida and advisory council meeting in Amelia Island. 

 

Meeting adjourned at 2:55 p.m.