State film agency to move to MU
Published Aug. 26, 2005
The Missouri Film Commission, the agency that promotes filmmaking in the state, will move to MU as early as mid-September, officials with the Missouri Department of Economic Development announced. The commission is located in Jefferson City.
Paul Sloca, spokesman for the Department of Economic Development, said the move will save the state $50,000 by reducing the commission's annual budget to $150,000.
The state will pay MU to operate the office for the next three years, after which the commission will become the university's responsibility Sloca said. The Department of Economic Development is seeking alternate funding for the office. No plans have been finalized to finance the commission more than three years, he said.
Sloca said the Department of Economic Development chose MU because of its wealth of eager participants.
"We felt that the University of Missouri had abundant resources in terms of students and in terms of enthusiasm," Sloca said.
The move brings the promise of internships and other opportunities for MU students, particularly students in the College of Engineering and the School of Journalism. Sloca said he believes that the campus population will gain the opportunity to participate in the film business.
"Students can get involved in the process," he said.
Started in 1983, the Missouri Film Commission's job is to attract movie, television and advertising companies to the area, thereby fueling local economies. The new MU office will have two full-time employees whose jobs will be to provide information to potential filmmakers.