We can’t wait to see the results of this effort to boost production!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
By Deborah M. Todd, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe tout the virtues of working in Pittsburgh, it's safe to say the city has arrived as legitimate site for film production.
But as residents grow accustomed to movies featuring Taylor Lautner outrunning explosions on the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the Pittsburgh Film Office is working to help the city land a role that goes beyond scenery through the talents of its entertainment technology sector.
Spun out of the Pittsburgh Entertainment Technology Project, a partnership that was introduced in January, the new group plans to tap a database of more than 100 local businesses and a network of Pittsburgh expatriates plugged into the film industry in Los Angeles to highlight innovative ways area firms can assist productions that many film studios have yet to explore.
The goal is to increase the economic impact of film production in the region by 20 percent in the next year.
Some resources the region has to offer Hollywood are obvious.
Want to send Taylor Lautner running from another fireball? Plenty of businesses in the database have got special effects and animation covered.
But suppose a studio wanted to promote the scene directly to Mr. Lautner's target tween girl audience? That's where firms such as Allison Park-based iTwixie, a social networking site devoted to teen girls, can make an impact.
Rebecca Gaynier, iTwixie founder and CEO, said companies can benefit from data provided through the Tween Trends service, which links directly with young users for unfiltered opinions.
"Any movie producer or entertainment groups seeking powerful engagement with an audience, that's something we can help to facilitate," she said.
Michael Matesic, CEO of Oakland-based technology accelerator The Idea Foundry, said finding ways to market films directly to those most likely to buy tickets is quickly becoming a priority for Hollywood studios.
"Gaming, mobile media and social media all are ways to allow major motion picture content to be distributed in new and creative ways and to generate more revenue from an alternative revenue source," he said.
The group's efforts already have attracted the attention of a few studios and industry power players, including Jimmy Miller, an entertainment manager and partner in Mosaic Media Group, the fourth-largest talent agency in Los Angeles. Mr. Matesic said Mr. Miller, who oversees the careers of Jim Carey and Will Ferrell to name a few, is particularly interested in using mobile media and other distribution platforms to raise the profile of up-and-coming talent.
Patrick Mittereder, CEO and founder of East Liberty-based Electric Owl Studios, said technology his company uses to create video games for children's hospital waiting rooms could easily be tweaked to create video games starring characters that movie studios hope to promote for upcoming films.
"We can create games for them and put them on our kiosks to get movies out there before the movie even comes out," he said.
"The film industry contributes so much to the cultural and financial vitality of the southwestern Pennsylvania region, benefiting multiple sectors of our economy," said Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer. "By partnering with these other great organizations dedicated to growing industry, we hope to extend similar economic growth opportunities to innovative entertainment technology companies in the region."
Joining the Pittsburgh Film Office in the new effort are the Pennsylvania Film Industry Association, Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center, The Idea Foundry, Teamsters Local 249 and the regional chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Read more: http://postgazette.com/pg/11291/1182892-60-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel0#ixzz1bMQZpope
Picture from: http://www.vmi.pitt.edu/images-t/Pittsburgh.jpg
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