New State Office Will Be Dedicated To Minnesota's Film And TV Industry

A new state office will soon be established to promote and support the film and television production industry in Minnesota.

The new office, to be known as Explore Minnesota Film, will be created under the Minnesota Department of Economic Development's Explore Minnesota tourism agency.

Following years of advocacy from local industry professionals, the new office became official with the passage of the omnibus jobs bill in the Legislature.

Explore Minnesota Film will replace Minnesota Film and TV, a longtime nonprofit organization that is the only one of its kind in the nation performing the duties of a state film commission in lieu of an official government office.

"We will now join the 45 other states that have a state office dedicated to the film and TV production industry," Melodie Bahan, executive director of Minnesota Film and TV, wrote in an announcement.

"This change will allow Minnesota to be more effective in its efforts to attract production to the state, in its administration of the Film Production Tax Credit, and in working with local jurisdictions throughout the state to create film-friendly communities," she shared.

Testifying before a Minnesota House committee earlier this year, Bahan said Minnesota's film and television production industry dwindled over the decades because the state lacked a competitive incentive program.

The state's new tax credit program, which now offers up to $25 million in credits annually, is helping to put Minnesota on the map again as a destination for filming.

"Marmalade", a movie filmed entirely in Minnesota starring "Stranger Things" actor Joe Keery

, was among the wave of productions that chose Minnesota for filming following the state's investment.

The new state office will oversee and administer film and television incentive programs, provide guidance to productions on location, crew and vendors, assist with film permits, market the state as a production destination to the industry and more.

"While Minnesota Film and TV is able to perform some of the functions of a state film office, there are critical areas where the authority and connections of a government agency is needed," Bahan testified in March.

Minnesota Film and TV, founded in 1983, will dissolve as the new state agency takes over. The timeline of the transition is not yet finalized.

SOURCE: Bring Me The News