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February 4 -17, 2022 Vol. 23, No. 3
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PHOTO BY TERAH HOOBLER
Propped up: Matthew Sullivan is co-owner of the props and set decorating company SouthEast PROPS, one of many local vendors catering to the uptick in film activity in the region.
Index Banking & Finance .............................4-5 The List ........................................6, 8, 20 Health Care ........................................... 7 Economic Development.......................... 9 In Profile...............................................12 Real Estate .................................... 14-15 Business of Life ............................. 22-23
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FILM INDUSTRY’S
SUPPORTING ROLES
BY JENNY CALLISON trip away the glamour and the mystique, and the film industry is about people from a wide variety of crafts collaborating to create a product that the public will want. Since Dino De Laurentiis planted his studio in Wilmington about 40 years ago, the area has both attracted experienced film veterans and inspired locals with relevant skills to become part of film crews in this region. There have been ups and downs over the years, but 2021 was the best year ever in terms of money spent in the area by movie, television and ad projects. That estimated $311 million in spending – for lumber, paint, props, transportation, on-set meals and a host of other necessities – translates into business for any number of local companies. Some of those companies cater exclusively to
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film projects; others see their bottom lines boosted by serving film projects as well as their regular customers. “We’ve had our best year at SouthEast PROPS in 2021 directly because the state has finally figured out the incentives program and reinstated it,” said Matthew Sullivan, co-owner of the props and set decorating company (read more about the business in the Business Journal’s new monthly series Film Focus on page 10). “There have been more films filmed here than in many years. The incentive in place has bolstered the industry across the state.” Sustainability is key if the film industry is to remain an important part of the region’s economy, says Susi Hamilton, the interim board chairwoman of the newly formed Film Partnership of North Carolina. That means the involvement of more
local businesses since a film project needs a vast array of everyday materials, and if purchased from in-state providers, that ups a project’s qualifying expenditures for the North Carolina incentive. Companies interested in learning more should contact the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, director Johnny Griffith said. Sustainability also means ensuring there will be enough trained and experienced people in the future who can do everything from building sets to rigging lights to performing stunts to accounting for every penny spent. “A talented crew base is a factor in where productions, studios and their streaming subsidiaries choose to shoot their content,” said Darla McGlamery, business agent for Wilmington’s Local 491 of the InterSee FILM, page 10
