PAS Media, Inc.

Comments on PAS Media, Inc. Inspiring a Film Studio in Florida

"This is great news for Florida actors!" --Snazzyact

"Great news about this exciting development! ...Great step forward for Florida!" --Garth, CineMedia - Founder of FilmCommunity

"... It was a pleasure meeting you and finding out about your latest business venture of a "studio city." I am very excited about this project, because it is just what we South Floridians need to help us kick start the careers of the great filmmakers and talent we have in our metropolitan communities. We need production companies like yours." --K.A.G.

"I was very interested in the story that ran on NBC6 last Thursday on the Atlantic Film Studio project and the potential to create 15,000 jobs... I wish you success in this venture and hope your employment estimates become a reality for South Florida..." --Ken D.

"I am a Sound Mixer in Plantation, FL with over 20 years experience on Commercials and Features (including Marley & Me) and hope your company and studio grow to employ many of us hit by the lack of State incentives." --Ray Rifice

"...and must say I m truly delighted to know you are bringing such a leap for the east coast in the film industry. Look forward to contact you all again soon." --Marinho

"Hi, great news about the expansion of PAS media, the building of the new studios in Florida, etc. I’m particularly aware of the blossoming film industry in Florida..." --Rob T.

"Sounds great! Feel free to contact me about any anticipated career openings or ways that I can help. I would love to help get a studio started from the ground up on the East... Exciting news and continue to dream Big!" --Frosty Palm Studios

"This sounds wonderful. Hopefully this all turns out the way we (east coast) all want it to. If there is anything I can do I would be more than happy to help. Also with me as well, if there are any career openings, please feel free to contact me." --Gavin H.

"I would love to offer my services on any and all of your projects as I truly wish to work more at home here in Florida. Not having to travel back and fourth to Los Angeles makes me very happy. I bring a lot to the table." -- Grady B.

In the Local News

Bill Metz, interviewed by Miami Today News

Article published on January 15, 2009, Page 11

The Film and Entertainment Industry in Florida

Part II ‐ Statewide Economic and Fiscal Impact

By: Dr. Rick Harper, Director

Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development

The University of West Florida

The Film and Entertainment Industry is important to the Florida economy as a major driver of employment and personal income, attracting revenue from other states and countries to be spent locally on wages and film production services. When a major studio shoots a big budget film on location, it can inject, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), as much as $225,000 per day into the location’s economy.

In 2002, Florida firms within the overall Film and Entertainment Industry generated over $4.7 billion in revenue and paid over $1.2 billion in wages. By 2007, the major component industries of motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos, and digital media saw revenues exceeding $8.5 billion, or 5.2 percent of US same industry wide revenues.

The estimated economic impact of the Florida Film and Entertainment Industry grew from nearly $27 billion in 2003 to $29.2 billion in 2007. The industry is currently responsible for over 207,000 jobs in the state, a 3.7 percent increase from 2003, and generates nearly half a billion dollars in tax revenues annually, up an estimated 5.3 percent during the same time period. The 2007 Gross Regional Product (GRP) generated by the industry represents 2.4 percent of the total state GRP.

The Florida Film and Entertainment Industry is forecasted to grow faster than other targeted industry clusters within the state of Florida. With a projected employment growth rate of 20 percent, it is expected to grow faster than the Biomedical/Biotechnical cluster (19%) and the Defense and Security cluster (18%).

The impact could be larger if more films and other types of productions were attracted to the state. In addition, the impact will grow if Florida continues to develop its film and entertainment cluster with larger pools of skilled labor, suppliers, and production capabilities. A film production and postproduction cluster would likely attract more films and lead to a significant, lasting, long‐term economicimpact on the Florida economy.

LINK HERE FOR COMPLETE REPORT

"Florida's star is dimming as other states lure movie studios Hollywood studios are finding better incentives elsewhere"

By Sarah Talalay | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

December 24, 2008

When Marley & Me, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, opens in theaters across the country on Christmas Day, South Florida moviegoers can enjoy picking out local landmarks from Las Olas Boulevard to Dolphin Stadium.

South Florida is as much a character in the film as Marley, the story's unruly Labrador. The two months spent shooting the film in the region this spring pumped more than $10 million into area businesses and paid wages for nearly 1,400 local film industry workers.

But Florida is beginning to fall off studios' radar. A fund the state provides to attract big film productions was slashed from $25 million last year to $5 million as the state struggled with its fiscal crisis.

Now in its fifth year, Florida's budget for incentives is being dwarfed by other states, such as Louisiana, New Mexico and Michigan.

"It used to be we could compete with a less attractive or less generous incentive because we were Florida," said Lucia Fishburne, Florida's film commissioner. "There's obviously an incentive war going on, and everybody's beefing up their war chests."

Major film and TV productions that spend at least $625,000 in the state can qualify for a rebate that is typically 15 percent of the amount spent in Florida. The rebate can reach 22 percent if filming occurs during hurricane season and if the production is family-friendly. Productions also get a sales tax exemption.

Marley & Me, based on the best-selling book by former Sun Sentinel columnist John Grogan, got a $1.5 million rebate for spending nearly $10.3 million in Florida, including booking 6,300 hotel room nights.

But Florida film officials say these days big budget films like Marley & Me could be shot almost anywhere.
Other states are providing much larger incentives, some worth 40 percent or more, and have no budgetary restrictions.

That worries Sam Tedesco, Marley & Me's location manager, who has homes in Pompano Beach and Southern California, and other film industry workers who also live in Florida.

"It turns film crews that have their homes in Florida essentially into migrant workers," Tedesco said. "People are starting to migrate to other states, they're working in Louisiana, New Mexico."

Michigan enacted its incentive package, which can reach as high as 42 percent, this spring. Already, 25 major productions completed filming in 2008, including Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, compared with two the previous year, said Anthony Wenson, Michigan Film Office chief operating officer. Another 50 are planned next year, he said.

Lawmakers in some states don't want to lose their competitive edge, but have grown concerned about film incentive budgets growing out of control.

In Florida, two bills that would lift the $5 million cap on incentives and offer a choice between a straight rebate or tax credit have been filed in advance of the spring legislative session.

"We know this is an uphill battle. We want so much to make the business community, as well as make legislators, understand this is a complement for tourism," said Elizabeth Wentworth, Broward County film commissioner.

With its picture postcard of a puppy bounding across sun-soaked beaches, Marley & Me will open nationwide Christmas Day while much of the country endures wintry weather.

"This is publicity we could not afford to buy," Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau President Nicki Grossman said. "Millions will see the beauty we enjoy every day, especially those battling the cold weather in the Northeast and Midwest."

Bob Ferro, owner of Nick's Bar & Grill on Hollywood Beach, loves the attention his business gets serving as a location for films, as it has for Marley & Me and a half dozen other movies, including Body Heat and All About the Benjamins.

"It's a great advertisement. This movie [Marley] is going to have our girls with our T-shirts on, if they use the clip," Ferro said. "To have your place in a movie, everyone in South Florida who goes to the movie is going to say, 'Look, there's Nick's.'"

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said Florida has to compete with other states for film and TV production, which provide jobs and stimulate the economy. According to the state film office, 100,000 people in Florida are directly employed in the film and TV industry.

"The only way we're going to increase revenue for our state is to stimulate the economy and grow jobs and investments. If we don't step up to the plate and show our side of wanting to invest, why would the private sector want to come to our state and invest?" said Fasano, who chairs the Senate transportation and economic development appropriations committee.

In a recession, proponents say spending on films flows quickly through the economy, be it on jobs, hotel stays, rental cars or lumber companies that provide materials for sets.

And, other than mountains, Florida offers a wealth of settings.

"If you want westerns, you can go out to the western part of the county; if you want yachts, you can come to the east. If you need condos, come to the middle of the county," said Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson. "Anything is here for any filmmaker that wants to come."

Sarah Talalay can be reached at stalalay@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4173

Feature Film & Television Production