A chance encounter between Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and a local filmmaker has ultimately led to a meeting of the minds between several important dignitaries from the entertainment industry, academia and economic development.
Joining Stivers in a lunchtime roundtable discussion at the Wrigley in downtown Corbin last week were Corbin Economic Development Agency Executive Director Bruce Carpenter, Eastern Kentucky University President David McFadden, Kentucky Community and Technical College System President Ryan Quarles, Wrigley Media Group owner and CEO Misdee Wrigley-Miller, Unbridled Films CEO Merry-Kate Poe and several others. Also joining the discussion was Matthew Smitley, the local filmmaker that Stivers had the previously mentioned chance encounter with.
“Most people don’t know that the film industry is right here in their backyard,” Stivers said. “All of a sudden, we find out that it is in our backyard, so we have had a discussion here today about our state’s influence, how we can grow it, and how we can get more participation and opportunities.”
One of the main goals of last week’s meeting was to explore ways that a state film commission could be formed. Once active, that commission would work every day to ensure that Kentucky is providing adequate incentives and guidance for filmmakers who would, ideally, want to come here to produce their films and/or series.
“There is not currently a state film commission,” said Poe. “There is not currently a state film office, or a state commissioner. That is one of the talking points that we are addressing as we continue to meet with more professionals in the industry, so check back with us on that.”
“There is the ability in the executive branch to have the commission,” Stivers clarified.
“The long term goal is to create a sustainable entertainment industry that will create ongoing jobs,” added Wrigley-Miller. “This is an industry that touches on so many different job opportunities, so long term, it will have such a positive impact on the state of Kentucky. It will have an impact on job growth and job opportunities.”
Picking up on that point, Poe said, “This industry utilizes skilled workers such as carpenters and electricians, professionals such as attorneys, service industry positions like catering, and obviously, the creative and technical positions. So, whatever you want to be, you can work at some point in the film industry. That is what makes us so unique and different.”
In order to make the dream of a robust (and lucrative) film industry a reality in our state, a good deal of teamwork is going to be required. This is a point that Stivers touched on, saying, “There has been a very poor effort at the state level in working to promote the film industry here. We don’t have an active film industry office that would go out and recruit [filmmakers] to come here to the state of Kentucky. There needs to be a coordinated effort between that office and our educational institutions to create the workforce. That is a key to being attractive and growing the film industry in Kentucky.”
Wrigley-Miller said that the idea would be to create a stable working environment which would allow for “semi-permanent positions where crew members can move from one production, to the next, to the next.”
Corbin’s own Mark Daniels was also invited to last week’s meeting. A longtime educator and general expert in all things film, he is an accomplished screenplay writer who is excited about the prospects of seeing the pieces fall into place that could allow for more film production in his home state.
“It is all about galvanizing the industry and figuring out how to bring it throughout Kentucky,” Daniels said. “I know a lot of filmmakers throughout the state who aren’t here, and networking and having some sort of database of everyone involved is a big deal. We need to organize the people and the resources instead of just allowing things to happen by happenstance. Establishing a Kentucky film commission would help with that.”
So, what next?
We will have to see how things progress legislatively, and should a commission come to fruition, the right people would need to be in place to create incentives for filmmakers to come to our state instead of shooting on the west coast, or above the border in Canada, or in Georgia, or anywhere else that is also choosing to focus on growing this promising and exciting industry within its borders.
For creative minds like Smitley, this presents an opportunity to pursue a career that he is passionate about without having to leave the place that he has always called home.
“It puts into place that creators are welcome here,” Smitley explained. “I was born and raised here, and with this, I can still live here and make the things that I want to make.”
Equally important to keeping talented folks here at home is attracting new talent to the area. This was another main focus of last week’s gathering, and will continue to be a focal point in the months ahead as follow-up discussions are planned to take place.
