Please join the Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association for a

Film and Entertainment Industry Networking Event

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Mercedes Benz Superdome Cafe

1500 Girod St., New Orleans, LA

5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Networking Event in the Superdome Cafe

7:00 p.m. Game Tip-off at the New Orleans Arena

Mix and mingle with entertainment industry professionals at an exclusive networking event before attending the New Orleans Hornets vs. Sacramento Kings home game as Club Seat guests! Come see how the Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association is ensuring the continued long-term growth of an industry which now helps employ thousands throughout the State of Louisiana

Please RSVP by contacting LFEA at (225) 767-7640 or

For more information on joining LFEA please visit http://www.lfea.org/.

*Club seating is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets will be available for pick up at the Networking Event.

info@lfea.org by April 6, 2012.

Georgia Tweaks its Program

The legislature in Georgia has just passed an amendment to its film incentive program, which is expected to be signed into law by the Governor. The current program remains largely in tact with a few tweaks.

Under the new law, in order to obtain the additional 10% "uplift" incentive, the Georgia promotional logo is now explicitly allowed to be a static image, rather than animated and must be placed "in the end credits before the below-the-line crew crawl" and "include a link to Georgia on the project's web page," leaving out the requirement of having it appear in every trailer. The new law also makes the logo placement requirements more clear for television series and other types of qualifying media, and allows for "alternative marketing opportunities to be evaluated by the Georgia Department of Economic Development to ensure that they offer equal or greater promotional value to the State of Georgia" in the event that the delineated logo requirements are not practicable for a production to include as outlined.

The other major change is that now production companies must pay withholding taxes in Georgia for all nonresident wages paid for services performed in Georgia, including nonresident actor loan outs, etc, which is a familiar requirement of other states. Furthermore, production companies will no longer be exempt from state sales tax fro purchases within the state, which also tracks with how other competitive programs work.

Overall, these changes do not appear to dramatically lessen Georgia's appeal as a production hub.

New Orleans Entrepreneur Week

Will French, President of Film Production Capital, was invited to participate on the Entertainment Incentives Panel for New Orleans Entreprenuer Week (NOEW) located at the Idea Village. NOEW is the nationally-recognized festival of entrepreneurship that celebrates and supports the network of talent that has enabled New Orleans to become a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, is the culmination of The Idea Village’s annual Entrepreneur Season.

Other panel participants included Katie Williams, Director, Film New Orleans, Clint Mock, CEO, Clint D. Mock, CPA, L.L.C., Amanda Hafford, Assitant Director, Louisiana Film Office, and Ashley Charbonnet of New Orleans Video Access Center. Sherri McConnell of McConnell Consulting served as the moderator. This was one of the many panels highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit and creative culture growing in New Orleans.

Louisiana has become of an incubator for entrepreneurs and the creative industries, including biosciences, digital media and art-based businesses. Film and video production and live music and theatre production are key components of this culture and the State's economy. The entertainment industry has taken root, with infrastructure and services to support the fast-growing film, music, interactive and live performance sectors. Undeniably, Louisiana's generous tax incentive programs have fueled this growth along with many people who posses a strong entrepreneurial spirit committed to shaping a new economy for the Big Easy and Louisiana.

Below are some links to articles highlighting New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, the entrepreneurial spirit thriving in New Orleans and Louisiana, and the success of the film industry in this movement.

"Top MBAs flock to New Orleans Entrepreneur Week in lieu of spring break," by Adrianna Lopez, The Times-Picayune

"New Orleans Entrepreneur Week will feature keynote speakers, workshops, competitions," by Jaquetta White, The Times-Picayune

"How entrepreneurship has integrated into New Orleans culture," by Adrianna Lopez, The Times-Picayune

"New Orleans and Young Entrepreneurs: Nurturing Each Other," by Jessica Stillman, Inc.com

"Why New Orleans is the Coolest Start Up City in America," by Donna Fenn, Inc.com