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WF APPROVES A NEW FEATURE FILM
This January the Washington Filmworks Board of
Directors approved funding assistance for one feature film. The project is
slated to go into production in the spring. This increases the number of
projects approved after renewal to 16, totaling 87 projects approved
through the standard program since 2007.
WF began accepting applications again on January
1st of this year. Please contact staff at (206) 264-0667 with
inquiries.
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END OF YEAR SURVEY COMING VERY SOON
Check your Inbox. Now that you have your W2s Washington Filmworks
will circulate our end of the year survey. Watch for an email from us in the
coming weeks. This first ever, annual survey will help answer the question: Why
is film important in Washington State? The survey is designed to gather
information about how local cast and crew build their careers and how our
industry contributes to the larger creative community. Information collected
from this survey will be presented in WF’s first Annual Update on the Film
Industry. Please help support our efforts to document the reasons film is
integral to Washington State.
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WF OPENS NEW FUNDING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Help spread the word about our latest cycle of the
Filmworks Innovation Lab – the Innovation Cycle. This cycle will commit funding
assistance to filmmakers utilizing new forms of production and emerging
technologies. WF is now accepting initial applications for the Innovation
Cycle, which is designed to explore the intersection of storytelling and
technology. This juried process challenges creative entrepreneurs to produce
motion picture content that traverses multiple delivery platforms.
“The entertainment industry is shifting and
adopting alternative distribution paradigms,” says Amy Lillard, Washington
Filmworks Executive Director. “Washington State is uniquely positioned to
capitalize on this digital revolution, and create revenue streams that
integrate our in-state technology resources. Washington Filmworks is passionate
about developing programs that empower our local storytellers to lead the
innovation revolution. Using our creative capital and technology expertise, we
can create a new economic development model for the world to follow.”
A program overview and the guidelines and criteria
are available
on our website. The official press release can be found on our blog.
The Deadline to submit Preliminary Information
Forms is 03/01/13.
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STANDARD PROGRAM CHANGES
If you are
considering applying for funding assistance from the Motion Picture
Competitiveness Program (also referred to as the Washington Filmworks
“standard program”), please be aware that the guidelines and criteria
were updated last November. You’ll find several changes, among them a revised
benefits provision. The most current guidelines are dated 11/08/12 and are
available
on our website.
For our
standard program a production must still meet the following in-state spending
thresholds:
- $500,000
Motion Pictures - $300,000
Television (per episode) - $150,000
Commercials
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ANNUAL UPDATE PRESENTATION AVAILABLE
Thank you to everyone who attended our December 2012 Annual
Industry Update events in both Spokane and Seattle. Just incase you weren’t
able to join us, a PDF of the presentation is available
online. Learn more about Washington’s successes last year and take a look at key initiatives for
2013.
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A SOLID YEAR OF BLOGGING
It’s time to crunch some numbers! Washington Filmworks’ newest
communication platform, our blog, proved to be an invaluable resource for
communicating with the local film community during renewal. Since then we’ve
transitioned the space to share all kinds of information, from WF press
releases to numerous guest posts relevant to the business of film. Traffic
comes in from all over the word; readers from 67 countries visited the site
more than 18,000 times in 2012. We aim to build this resource. What kinds of
posts would you like to see more of? Email your ideas to
Jessie@WashingtonFilmworks.org. Join in the conversation.
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WELCOME, JESSIE WILSON
WF
is pleased to announce that Jessie Wilson will continue as the Programs and
Communications Coordinator after serving with WF in a similar capacity in
2012. Jessie migrated to the Pacific Northwest, following several years
coordinating production, education, and outreach efforts for film organizations
in San Diego. She has more than a decade of experience designing and expanding
programs for nonprofit organizations and recently completed a Master of Fine
Arts in Arts Leadership at Seattle University. While at SU, Jessie worked for
Seattle City Councilmember, Nick Licata, and completed her thesis project with
the Seattle International Film Festival. Outside of WF, she has a covert,
second life as an interdisciplinary artist.
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WELCOME, KEN HAGEN
WF
is pleased to welcome Ken Hagen as our new Accounting Assistant. Ken is a local
Seattleite and a Suquamish tribal member. He attended Seattle public schools,
and went on to study at the University of Washington. At the UW he studied
business, with a concentration in finance. Ken also worked part time at Traders
Joe’s. Upon completion of his degree he donated time to a non-profit startup,
SpiritWolf Inc. Each spring he volunteers to coach a successful youth baseball
team, ages 13-14. Fishing has becoming one of his main hobbies, as well as
running. In the future he wants to further his experience in the financial
field, and bring those skills to the Suquamish Tribe’s business affairs.
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WELCOME, HOPE RUBINKOWSKI
WF
is pleased to welcome Hope Rubinkowski as the Fly Films Coordinator. Hope
was born and raised in Lynnwood, WA. A trained actress, she attended the
University of Washington, where she graduated with Honors from the School of
Drama. Hope has worked in production, while pursuing a career in Acting. She’s
worked in Washington on a number of commercials and films, to include Grassroots,
Eden, 21 and Over, and Touchy Feely. She also
served as the Seattle Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator for the Grassroots
independent release campaign. Hope has been acting in a number of independent
shorts and films, and was recently cast in a web series. While in school, she
interned as the Social Media Specialist for the School of Drama, performed in,
and directed a number of shows, and starred in a self-written, self-produced
one-woman show.
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JANUARY FMI HAPPY HOUR
The next Film + Music +
Interactive Happy Hour will be Wednesday, January 30th. Happy Hour is the last Wednesday of
every month from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Spitfire in the Belltown area of Seattle.
This month’s guest speaker is Robert Horton, a film critic and the curator of “Celluloid
Seattle” at the Museum of History and Industry, celebrating Seattle’s
relationship with film. Mr. Horton will focus his
presentation on the ways that the rest of the world has cast Seattle as a
character in film. The FMI Happy Hour is open to everyone 21 and up. Bring a
friend and help spread the word about this casual and informative mixer.
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