News
September 19, 2014
Weekly Update from Film Ontario, September 19, 2014
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Happy Friday! The Municipal election continues its adventures. I encourage you to connect with your local councillor candidates; please let me know if you require some 'hot sheets' and data reference. As well, am happy to join you in a meeting in your riding, should you wish. And of course, as we have done all year, we continue to send our best wishes to Mayor Ford and his family as he tackles his health challenges. Sarah Ker-Hornell ________________________________________________________________________________ Weekly Update from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative
Hollywood involvement in the New York mid-term elections this fall made headlines this week. The Chicago Tribune was just one outlet reporting that incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo, who added $2.1 billion in film and TV industry incentives over his term, has collected almost $900,000 in campaign contributions from Hollywood since taking office in 2011. Industry stakeholders in Louisiana who have recently been contemplating the effect California's expanded incentives will have on their jurisdiction, appear to be considering doubling down on tax credits there. As reported in the New Orleans-based Times-Picayune below, the Louisiana Film Entertainment Association is hoping to widen the scope of what counts for a return on investment of the state's film tax credit incentive program and has announced a plan to commission a study of the program's economic impact. As someone who regularly follows which TV shows are in development, I have been astounded the last several months by the number of projects being produced by Amazon Studios. I'm apparently not the only one: the L.A. Times this week took an in-depth look at how the on-line retailer is rapidly putting its footprint on Hollywood. And finally this week, a recently released study on diversity from the Directors Guild of America is making headlines. As detailed below in the Times, the report reveals that cable channels and broadcast networks have made little progress when it comes to hiring female and minority directors on episodic television shows. |