Last week, Michigan officials announced that the movie “Looking for Alaska,” based on the novel by John Green, was going to be filmed in both Southeast and Western Michigan this fall. It’s an exciting announcement, but it also comes at a tough time for the Michigan Film Office. Just a month ago, the state legislature voted to get rid of the state's film incentives. Michigan Film Office Director Jenell Leonard says that while "Looking for Alaska" was one of the last films to get the incentives, the office has a new, more digital-focused plan for the future.
Excerpts from WMUK's interview with Michigan Film Office CEO Jenell Leonard:
- On why Michigan was picked for "Looking for Alaska": "Well, we have a lot to offer. Some of the main things we hear, over and over again, is that we have some of the best locations in the country. I mean, it's one of the few states where you can catch a sunrise and a sunset on the water. But we also have the best talent. I hear from production companies across the U.S. and also here in the state saying that the talent, the work ethic, their quality of product that they produce, is second-to-none."
- On how the Film Office is changing both its name and direction following the Michigan legislature cutting film incentives: "A lot of our focus will be revolving around digital media. This is a growing industry we're seeing across the state, across the country, across the world. Especially in a lot of areas in Michigan, specifically. We're seeing in Detroit, especially with Dan Gilbert. He's saying, 'Detroit is primed to compete with Silicon Valley.' That means the high-tech, high-wage jobs. The digital media, video gaming, all of that is stuff that the Film Office has supported in the past. We have incented digital media projects. But many people just didn't know it. It wasn't widely recognized. That's something we need to promote to a whole new level."
- On the push for private, rather than public, investment: "Our push is going to be attracting private investment and the jobs that are associated with the creative industry, both in film, digital media and other areas as well. That's going to be our biggest push. What can do to utilize and leverage and really garner the expertise of the industry to help attract that private investment? Attract those jobs? And continue to elevate Michigan to be the place. Michigan fuels creativity. So we need to promote that as much as possible."
- What the future of the industry looks like in West Michigan: "You have a lot of great productions there focused on digital media. You see Start Garden, you see Gorilla. A lot of amazing private companies that are doing great work with very high-skilled talent. We also have a lot of educational institutions, from colleges and universities that are training students in these areas. And we need to make sure that we in the public sector are helping to serve as a catalyst to make sure those students have job opportunities of working with the private sector to bridge the gap. So that our youth stays here, our talent stays here as well."
