Ohio’s film industry professionals will have greater exposure thanks to a new state-sponsored website.
OhioFilmOffice.com features a database, the Ohio Production Directory, that allows production companies to connect with the state’s pool of workers and vendors associated with the film industry.
To date, there are 119 listings, but Ohio Department of Development officials say more are being added on a daily basis. (The Ohio Film Office, which works to recruit outside production activity and grow existing production companies and related businesses statewide, is housed within ODOD.)
“Our database highlights our state’s diversity and makes it easy to find experienced crew anywhere in Ohio,” says Jeremy Henthorn, director of the Ohio Film Office.
“I think one glance at our crew roster and location gallery will prove to any potential production company that Ohio can meet its needs,” he adds.
Besides the aforementioned directory and location gallery, OhioFilmOffice.com also features monthly spotlights on vendors, cast and crew, and locations; links to filmmaking and screenwriting organizations, regional film commissions, research organizations, and unions; and incentives for filming in the Buckeye State.
One of the main incentives is the Motion Picture Tax Credit. Totaling $30 million for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, the credit is calculated in two components: Ohio resident cast and crew wages are credited at 35 percent and all other eligible production expenditures are credited at 25 percent.
Based on figures from Fiscal Year 2010 applicants who have finished their principal photography, ODOD estimates that $17,928,987 was spent on eligible production expenditures (lighting, lumber, location fees, etc.) and $2,430,456 was spent on Ohio resident wages.
“Being able to attract a significant amount of productions to Ohio has a positive impact on our tourism industry,” says Amir Eylon,” director of the Ohio Tourism Division.
“In the short term, film crews use hotel rooms, rent vehicles, and use local businesses,” he adds. “However, films can often leave a longer legacy as people visit locations where the productions took place. Two examples are the Shawshank Trail in Mansfield and the ‘Christmas Story’ house in Cleveland.”
