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Happy New Year! We hope you’re as excited as we are about the start of 2021 and the new opportunities on the horizon for Oklahoma’s film and music industries! For the first time ever, Sundance Film Festival will take place in our own backyard at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of such a prestigious festival for the eighth year in a row. For all you storytellers out there, submit your Oklahoma-influenced ideas now for a chance to pitch during SeriesFest's Pitch-A-Thon Roadshow, which will broadcast next month as part of our Pivotal Work: Early Access Series. This month our office was excited to present episode two of this series on our YouTube Channel, featuring local industry members highlighting the state’s music business, performance and production series.
Additionally, as we start anew, you will find our newsletter has been refreshed to include sections highlighting developments within the film and music industries, specifically related to workforce, communities and business, which we hope you enjoy.
Lastly, despite a challenging year amid a global pandemic, Oklahoma’s film and music industries remained resilient, innovative and steadfast carrying forward the momentum of previous years with impressive numbers, which the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) is still calculating for a more comprehensive article to be released next month. A preview of early estimates shows that 33 film and television projects that utilized the state’s film incentive program created 4,721 local jobs and had a direct impact of over $45 million dollars on the state’s economy in 2020. With even more productions filming over the next eight months, OF+MO estimates at least $150 million in revenue for Oklahoma in 2021.
We look forward to sharing more with you soon, and thank you for staying connected with us and for your support and contributions to the state’s film and music scene!
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| PIVOTAL WORK: EARLY ACCESS
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Click the image to watch "Music PROS in Oklahoma: Putting Your Creativity to Work"!
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Watch Now! Episode Two of OF+MO's New FREE Video Series
Watch episode two of our new Pivotal Work: Early Access FREE video series! “Music PROS in Oklahoma: Putting Your Creativity to Work” encompasses career discussions and perspectives from the music business, performance and production sectors with guest panelists Ali Harter (Musician/Artist/Momtrepeneur), Dustin Edward Howard (Composer/Songwriter) and Graham Colton (Musician/Entrepreneur). This panel is moderated by Krystal Yoseph (Konjo Concepts). Click here to read their bios!
“The Pivotal Work: Early Access Series” was safely recorded with social distancing measures in place at Del City’s Castle Row Studios with production company The Visual Brain.
Intro song credit: "All Is Quiet" by Graham Colton.
Additional videos will be released monthly through March 2021. Be sure to subscribe here to our e-blasts and follow us on social media (@okfilmmusic) to find out more information and release dates!
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| JOIN OF+MO AT THESE EVENTS
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| | Start your new career in the Oklahoma film industry!
In 2019, nearly 40 film and television projects filmed in communities around the state, making it one of the busiest years Oklahoma has ever had for film and television production. As the entertainment industry continues to flourish both globally and here in Oklahoma, the need for the continued development and expansion of our local film industry workforce and companies is critical. We invite you to explore resources to learn more about ways you can plug in to the industry and start your careers now!
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Start your new career in the Oklahoma music industry!
Home to some of the most renowned musical acts and venues in the world, there are more exciting opportunities in Oklahoma’s music industry than ever before. As the entertainment industry continues to flourish both globally and here in Oklahoma, the need for the continued development and expansion of our local music industry workforce and companies is critical. We invite you to explore our website’s resources to learn more about ways you can plug in to the industry and start your careers now!
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OF+MO Sponsors Sundance Film Festival at Tulsa's Circle Cinema with Vitual Programming
Traditionally held in Park City, Utah, the Sundance Film Festival will, for the first time ever, offer an online platform featuring seven days of premieres, events, artist talks and cutting-edge XR exhibitions, as well as will be partnering with independent cinema communities across the U.S. and beyond to safely host in-person events. One location is in our own backyard at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema, which has been named an official satellite venue for the event to be held Thursday, January 28 – Tuesday, February 2, 2021. One of 20 cinemas across the country to receive such honors, Circle Cinema is the only satellite venue in Oklahoma and among other states in the surrounding region. As a host of Sundance Film Festival, Circle Cinema will host exclusive screenings, panels and more both virtually through its website and with limited capacity, socially distanced physical screenings at its location in the Kendall-Whittier district, as well as partners in the Tulsa area, such as the Admiral Twin Drive-In, which can accommodate larger audiences. OF+MO is proud to sponsor the Sundance Film Festival at Circle Cinema, which will soon be announcing additional programming for the event featuring local filmmakers and musicians that will stream to audiences for free as part of its “Beyond Film” series for the festival.
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| | Writers! Submit a New Series Idea for Seriesfest's Pitch-A-Thon Roadshow
SeriesFest, the nation’s premier episodic non-profit organization located in Denver, Colorado, in partnership with the OF+MO, is currently accepting submissions for Pitch-A-Thon Roadshow. SeriesFest’s popular Pitch-A-Thon program is hitting the road as the Pitch-A-Thon Roadshow. Independent content creators will have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive virtual pitch session highlighting the state of Oklahoma with top television, new media and digital executives in hopes of moving their projects forward. The deadline is January 22, 2021.
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Current Casting Calls
CASTING
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| BUSINESS + INFRASTRUCTURE
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Journal Record Webinar to Highlight Oklahoma’s Sound Stage Developments
After successfully participating in several sessions last year, OF+MO is proud to rejoin The Journal Record (JR) for its free weekly online webinar series, JR Now, with a brand new episode that will highlight permanent infrastructure developments within Oklahoma’s film and television industry on Friday, January 29, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. “Sound Stages: Building Oklahoma’s Foundation in Film” will demonstrate the necessity of sound stages as critical infrastructure in furthering the growth of Oklahoma’s film and television industry as well as associated careers and educational opportunities within this business sector. This episode will feature OF+MO Director Tava Maloy Sofsky alongside representatives from several newer organizations offering local sound stages, including Matt Payne and Rachel Cannon, co-CEO’s of Prairie Surf Media; Melodie Garneau, President of Green Pastures Studio; and Cassidy Lunnen, CEO and co-owner of Red Clay Studios.
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FEATURED BUSINESS
Oklahoma Film & TV Academy
The Oklahoma Film and Television Academy (OFTA) is a short-course training facility that prepares local students to work on and be successful in crew positions across all production departments. OFTA was established to support the growing film industry in our state and focuses on upskilling and retraining folks from every walk of life. Understanding that there are positions on set available for skilled workers, OFTA has developed a detailed curriculum to ensure graduates are prepared to walk on set with a wealth of set knowledge and practical experience.
"I have learned more about production over these past four days than I did in film school,” said OFTA graduate LaRissa Fisher, Slate 1. “I appreciate all of you at OFTA so much!"
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Become a Certified Oklahoma Film Friendly Community
Oklahoma is widely known for its heartland hospitality, and as our film and television industry continues to grow, OF+MO seeks to engage statewide communities through our expanded Oklahoma Film Friendly Program to provide the necessary toolkit for communities to best attract and collaborate with film and television production working on-location in Oklahoma. Last year, the film and television industry saw over $45 million in direct impact into the state’s economy, and as such, we hope the resources afforded by the Oklahoma Film Friendly Program empower communities to reap the benefits of more production in their areas. Explore our newly released Film Friendly Certification Guide on our website, which offers valuable information on the production process from script to screen and details the certification process for communities to receive official designation. This page also includes a direct upload link whereby communities and property owners can add their locations and attractions to our Oklahoma Locations Directory, which showcases thousands of statewide properties that are potentially available for filming. For more information on the Oklahoma Film Friendly Program and how your community can become involved, please contact OF+MO's Outreach and Production Manager, Yousef Kazemi, at Yousef.Kazemi@TravelOK.com.
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FEATURED LOCATION
Clauren Ridge Vineyard & Winery
Centrally located just outside Oklahoma City in northwest Edmond, Clauren Ridge Vineyard & Winery offers experiences unlike anything else you can find in the state. Since its inception in 2012, Clauren Ridge has strived to not only provide the best wines Oklahoma can offer, but also the best wine tasting experiences. Esthetically inspired by grape growing regions in California and France, this cinematic location features a stunning veranda and patio overlooking the rolling hills of Oklahoma as well as an indoor wine cave that is truly unique to the location. Clauren Ridge hosts a number of events throughout the year, including weddings and corporate events, as well as themed-dinners like “Harry Potter”, “The Great Gatsby”, “Game of Thrones” and “Titanic”. Additionally, the location recently welcomed the filming of the thriller “Hostage House”, a production that utilized the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program late last year.
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| OKLAHOMA FILM + MUSIC SPOTLIGHTS
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SCOTT BOOKER | ceo/executive director of acm@uco
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| The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO)’s “Oklahoma Film + Music Spotlight” features various filmmakers, musicians and industry leaders who have experienced the positive benefits of making film and music in Oklahoma.
January's Spotlight features Scott Booker, CEO and Executive Director of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) talking about the ever-evolving music industry in Oklahoma and how it can continue to grow with more infrastructure and educational opportunities.
Click the image to watch this month's Spotlight video!
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| FEATURED FILM CAREER
Shannon Smith | OFTA Graduate/PA/Actor
"[My career in the Oklahoma film industry] has taught me that I can live my dream where I am. When I was younger, that never seemed possible!"
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| | | FEATURED MUSIC CAREER
Sophia Massad
singer/songwriter/sound engineer/vocal coach
"After spending a year living in Georgia, I learned so much about how amazing Oklahomans are. There is something so special about the people here; Okies love to support other Okies. We have such a large and diverse city full of kind-hearted people who, in my experience, would probably love to hear your local band’s music."
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NOW FILMING
OF+MO is pleased to announce two projects are filming this month, utilizing Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program. Due to safety and public health concerns surrounding COVID-19, some productions have temporarily modified or suspended their production dates in Oklahoma. New production dates will be provided as soon as possible by those productions.
Filming in January
- "God's Not Dead 4" - Starting January 18
- "American Underdog" - Starting January 25
Please note that these dates are subject to change pending the production’s compliance with the benchmarks and administrative rules for the rebate program. For a current listing of films in the rebate queue, please visit the Now Filming section of our website.
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THAT'S A WRAP
- "Unbreakable Boy"
- "Hostage House"
- "Deadly Seduction"
- "Deadly Dorm"
- "Ghoster"
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Oklahoma Film "Wild Indian" to Premiere at 2021 Sundance Film Festival
The Oklahoma-produced thriller “Wild Indian” will make its world premiere at the prestigious 2021 Sundance Film Festival showing virtually January 30, 2021, with a second screening on February 1, 2021. This marks the fourth consecutive year for an Oklahoma produced movie to make its world premiere at Sundance, following last year’s acclaimed debut for “Minari”, which took home two of the festival’s top honors. “Wild Indian” was filmed throughout Oklahoma City and Guthrie for 46 days, which included pre-production, production and post-production, in late 2019. The film created more than 120 local jobs with a median salary of $20 per hour. Local positions included electricians, costumers, craft services, camera and audio technicians, art and production designers, weapons trainers, set medics and accountants, to name a few. Additionally, the production reserved more than 1,400 hotel nights during their stay.
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"Climate of the Hunter" Now Available on Digital Platforms
Dark Star Pictures is proud to announce the digital release of “Climate of the Hunter”, now available. From acclaimed Oklahoma filmmaker Mickey Reece, the film tells the story of two sisters pitted against each other as they vie for the affections of a man who may or may not be a vampire. “Climate of the Hunter” was filmed in Welling, Oklahoma, in 2019, featured all local cast and crew, and utilized the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program. Watch this thriller on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Direct TV, Vudu, Dish Network and all major cable providers.
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AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Instantly access the Oklahoma Production, Locations and Music Directories with the OKLAHOMA FILM + MUSIC OFFICE APP to explore and connect with Oklahoma's talented crew, accommodating support services, diverse locations and legendary musicians. For more information, visit the iTunes Store.
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Stay Connected with Your Legislator
Connect with your local area state legislators at oklegislature.gov or by using the Oklahoma Legislative Guide for the 58th Legislature app, which provides current contact information and photos of each representative. This free app is provided by the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC). Find it in the app store.
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| About the Oklahoma Film + Music Office:
Created in 1979, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office strives to share all that Oklahoma has to offer by welcoming filmmakers and music professionals to the state and by creating a network of support to develop Oklahoma's film and music industries. For more information about the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program or the Oklahoma Film + Music Office please visit okfilmmusic.org.
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SUPPORT • CONNECT • PROMOTE
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