JAY SELF has been Savannah city government’s point man on movies for more than a decade. But those days appear numbered. Mr. Self, the high-profile director of the city’s Film Services Office, has been suspended with pay by his supervisor, with his walking papers waiting in the wings. No reasons were publicly given by City Hall. That’s standard procedure in personnel matters. Mr. Self, for his part, has appealed this decision to City Manager Stephanie Cutter. That’s his right. But generally speaking, it’s rare that a city manager will overrule a department head when it comes personnel actions regarding any of the city’s 2,500 employees. Speculation has been swirling that the decision by city Leisure Services Bureau Chief Joe Shearouse to move Mr. Self out of the city’s film office may be related to the upcoming filming of “SpongeBob SquarePants2” on Broughton Street. Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Animation, a division of Paramount Pictures and Viacom, announced plans for “SpongeBob SquarePants 2” in February. But whatever the reason — or reasons, what ultimately matters is that Savannah remains well-positioned to benefit from the film and TV industry. That’s because movies mean money. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the direct economic benefits of film production in the state came to nearly $3.1 billion in 2012. That translates into about 25,000 jobs for Georgians who work in production and other film-related positions, the department states on its website. To lure producers here, the state offers generous tax incentives — an income tax credit of 30 percent for qualified expenses. And it seems to be working for the Peach State. According to state data, fiscal year 2012 saw record investment in Georgia by the entertainment industry, with more than $879.8 million in direct spending. Georgia also was home to 333 feature films, TV movies and series, commercials and music videos. While leaders in one Southern state, North Carolina, are pulling back on tax breaks, Gov. Nathan Deal remains bullish on Hollywood. He’s determined to roll out the green carpet. Savannah is unique in Georgia in that it has the only film office outside Atlanta. The city has budgeted $241,377 for its operation this year, up 7.8 percent from last year. The office has two positions, a director (with a salary between $71,559-107,503) and a location specialist (paid between $35,842-53,846). Mr. Self has had the director’s job since this office was created in 2004 under then-City Manager Michael Brown, with a budget of $340,000 and four employees. Prior to that, he headed the Savannah Film Commission for nine years. Mr. Self is known in the community, especially among those who have been involved in movie and TV production. In late 2010, then-City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney moved this office under Leisure Services, which was followed in 2011 by a well-publicized yet minor spat over a few hundred dollars missing from petty cash. In 2012, Ms. Small-Toney was booted. That year, the film office reported 242 separate projects, with $12.2 million in direct spending and $26 million in total economic impact. Those totals look impressive. Yet Mr. Shearouse, a respected veteran of city government, doesn’t have a reputation as someone who goes out on a limb. The city says the mission of its film office is to “foster the growth of a sustainable media industry in Savannah.” Its primary service is to coordinate, permit and monitor projects filmed in our area, with a focus on public safety, liability, insurance, quality of life and something called “client experience.” In other words, the director of this office is judged by a lot of things. That person is part operational, part salesman. The work involves more than just eliminating barriers and running interference when Hollywood comes to town. It includes cultivating a healthy reputation and a positive word-of-mouth, especially among the industry’s movers and shakers. For some reason, the city has decided that it’s time to make a change in this office’s leadership. Maybe more specifics will be forthcoming Or not. But whatever the outcome, Savannah must remain plugged in to the film industry and strive to reap additional benefits, which include additional exposure that helps local tourism. The show must go on.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:09:11 +0000
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