Promoting the movie business in Iowa

Iowa Motion Picture Association Business Planning Event -

With the passage of the Iowa film, television, and video production tax incentives program by the Iowa Legislature in 2007, film and video production is a targeted industry in Iowa. The incentives are working – three projects qualified for the incentives in 2007; two features were produced in spring 2008, and another is in progress now.

The Iowa Motion Picture Association (IMPA) is working to raise awareness of the industry, train additional industry workers, and strengthen the state-wide business network in ongoing education and training as well as finding locations, crew, and equipment for specific productions.

The IMPA wants to provide opportunities for more Iowans to enter this high-paying, healthy, exciting, and continually evolving field of work, and improve the project response network we need to bring additional locations to urban and rural communities.

IMPA has received a grant from the Innovation and Commercialization Division of the Iowa Department of Economic Development to hold a Central Iowa production business planning and networking event in Des Moines at the Hotel Renaissance Savery, 4th and Locust, Des Moines, on Thursday, December 18, 2008.

The facilitated planning process will take place from noon – 5:00 pm (registration required; lunch provided; $25 fee) followed by a networking reception and celebration of the incentives from 5:00 – 8:00 pm (free and open to the public).

Native Iowan and now California producer Joel Sadilek will deliver the keynote address at the reception- “The Business of Film, Television, and Video Production: How Iowa can Build it so They Will Come.”

Who should attend? Representatives of cities, counties, chambers of commerce, economic development individuals and organizations, civic groups, community foundations, production companies, production vendors and suppliers, freelance production workers, and those interested in working in the industry.

Please plan to attend to learn more about this exciting industry and the growing opportunities for Iowa communities, businesses, and individuals.

To attend the production business planning process please RSVP and register by December 16 -

To attend the networking reception and keynote address please RSVP by December 16 - via email to:impa@assocserv.com

See the schedule of events below:

Central Iowa Production Planning Meeting

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Note – registration limited to 40 participants – please RSVP by 12.16.08 - $25 fee

Schedule:

Noon Registration and networking lunch at Renaissance Savery Hotel; overview of the afternoon

1:00 Brief summary of Iowa Film and Video Tax Incentives initiative; potential to bring more film, video, and computer graphics production to Iowa, Tom Wheeler

1:15 Examples of recent feature film projects; summary of economic benefits to communities, Becky Gruening, Kent Newman

1:30 Facilitated discussion: Identify existing and available assets and resources (strengths)

2:00 Define challenges and barriers (weaknesses)

2:30 Break

2:45 Develop strategies to build on assets / resources (opportunities) and address challenges / barriers (threats)

3:45 Prioritize action strategies, timelines, and strategic partnerships; evaluation measures

4:45 Process feedback and evaluation (stakeholder review of planning process; suggestions for other priority actions)

5:00 Adjourn

Networking reception open to additional industry attendees and the public