Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Explore Industry Opportunities to Further Company Goals

Of course, everyone has heard of the Sundance Film Festival. But do you know another side of the story? One man decided to enhance the Utah Film Commission’s efforts to lure filmmakers to Utah by showcasing local crews, production services, filming locations, and tax and cash incentives.

John Corser, an award-winning producer and director, started FilmUtah in 2009 because he wanted more directors and producers to see the value of shooting their films in Utah. Corser, whose productions have spanned 20 countries and 5 continents, moved to Park City seven years ago and decided he wanted to do more of his work close to home. After researching film crews and infrastructure, he saw that half of what he did in Los Angeles could be done here as well or with better results. But as an L.A. producer, Corser  had never been exposed to Utah nor even given it any serious thought for a film project.

That impression is the first thing Corser wanted to change. Every other state he worked in had some sort  of private production directory or trade magazine promoting the crews and equipment vendors. He didn’t  see anything like it in Utah. After talking to Marshall Moore of the Utah Film Commission, Corser promised to publish a directory-type magazine of film professionals and service providers and do it as a  non-profit.

Now in its fourth year of publication, FilmUtah Magazine even holds an event during the Sundance Film  Festival to highlight its efforts. Many people think FilmUtah Magazine is a place to advertise, but it’s not  really; it is a place to show the world’s producers that we have infrastructure and film crews in Utah that can put them on track to succeed. The mission this year is to get the key infrastructure partners involved in FilmUtah. Read more: Utah Pulse