This weekend, “Superman” soars into theaters. And Ohioans may find some of the scenery the superhero flies over familiar: the movie was filmed in parts of Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Now, another region of Ohio is hoping to bring Hollywood to their neck of the woods.
Erin O’Neil is spearheading the Mid-Ohio Valley Entertainment Commission to increase filmmaking in southeast Ohio. Until recently, it’s been one of the only regions of the state without a film commission.
O’Neill said that means the largely rural region is missing out on opportunities for economic development despite having a lot to offer.
“It's beautiful – the rolling hills. We have Wayne National Forest. We have so much history,” O’Neill said. “It's just kind of unique and I feel like we have a real chance to get on the stage and prove who we are in this industry.”
Getting camera ready
The commission started after O’Neill spoke with local filmmakers, who said it was difficult to find the right resources to make a movie. They had questions on how to secure proper permits, where the best shooting locations were and which hotels were available for cast and crew members.
Those questions are even more challenging to navigate when directors are coming in from out of town, unaware of the local infrastructure, O’Neill said. The commission aims to change that.
“They can look at our website, they can pull up location shoots, they can call up vendor lists, businesses, maybe a little bit about the town, about the demographics and who the elected officials are and all of that kind of stuff.”
The project is still at its beginning stages, developing that website and establishing its nonprofit status. But O’Neill hopes that, down the line, the commission can be formally acknowledged by state and national film associations.
Ohio’s film industry
“Superman” isn’t the only blockbuster that’s been filmed in the Buckeye state. In just the last several years, widely acclaimed movies like “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “The Alto Knights” have chosen Ohio’s major metros for their movies.
In some Ohio cities, movie sets have become tourist destinations, from the “A Christmas Story” house in Cleveland to the “Shawshank Redemption”’s Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. O’Neill said it’s clear the film industry can be a tourism boon for a town.
“Not only is there that sense of pride for those of us who live here, but it would draw in people who are curious, who want to come and visit,” she said.
In the last couple of years, Ohio has expanded its incentives for filmmakers, too. The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit offers up to 30% tax credit on films that spend at least $300,000 in the state. In January, the state doled out nearly $30 million in tax credits for film and television.
Ohio lawmakers attempted to cut the program in the latest biennial budget, but Governor Mike DeWine vetoed the slashes.
Advocates like O’Neill hope the incentives not only will remain but grow to become more competitive with nearby states. She said regions like the Mid-Ohio Valley have the talent and the enthusiasm to support it.
“People just like to know that a movie, or a TV show has been made in their area. It makes them feel kind of special,” she said.
