New Website Expands Ability to Promote, Showcase Minnesota's Film & Television Industry

New Website Expands Ability to Promote, Showcase Minnesota's Film & Television Industry

ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Minnesota Film & TV Board (MFTVB) -- which promotes Minnesota as a premier location for film and television production and helps to keep Minnesotans employed in the industry -- today unveiled an expansive new website, http://www.mnfilmtv.org/ , that will better position Minnesota to compete in the global production marketplace.

"This is more than a new website; it's a key marketing tool that will bust myths commonly held about Minnesota," said Lucinda Winter, executive director of the MFTVB.

The site was created over the past seven months by Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD) DesignWorks. "We sought to create a site that is as eye catching as the visual media it represents," said Pam Arnold, DesignWorks Director. "Our hope is the site will reinvent the MN Film and TV Board brand with color, dynamic imagery and content. This is the only film commission site we know of where you can view film and video."

Unique to Minnesota's site, the section "MN Showcase" will feature the work of emerging Minnesota filmmakers. "Icepack" is a new online forum that allows Minnesotans working in other markets, such as California or New York, to network and stay connected. Location scouts can create their own folders of photos from the site's searchable location photo library. Visitors to the site can also view trailers of features that were filmed in the state.

"We want to offer a lot of reasons, including entertainment, to visit the new site," Winter added. "MFTVB represents Minnesota's entertainment industry, and it is important that the site be engaging."

"Our goal is that the site reflect Minnesota's diverse resources -- our creative talent, experienced crew base, urban and rural landscapes, distinct seasons and varied geography," added Arnold, who oversaw the student team that developed the website. "There is a stereotype that it's all frozen tundra and dairy farms here. The new site showcases the state's architectural, geographic and cultural diversity. Full color photography -- and lots of it -- throws a wrench into the stereotype."

"This site will help us better compete with countries like Canada and states such as New Mexico that have successfully lured film and television production dollars to their markets by offering generous production incentive packages," said Victoria Wozniak, MFTVB president.

The Minnesota Film & TV Board has been aggressively seeking to bring more feature film, television and video production to the state. And last year, the MFTVB successfully persuaded the Minnesota Legislature and Governor to restore production incentive funds that had been absent since 2002. "Snowbate" provides a 15 percent rebate of Minnesota production costs to eligible feature films, TV series, commercials, music videos and documentaries.

"The MFTVB is working hard to communicate the positive impact that television, film, corporate and commercial production has on our state's economy," Winter added. "Our goal is to be able to compete nationally and internationally with the right combination of incentives and production services so we can bring more production dollars to Minnesota and retain the state's outstanding creative workforce."

About the Minnesota Film & TV Board

The Minnesota Film & TV Board is a nonprofit public-private partnership funded by the State of Minnesota and private contributions. Its mission is to promote the art and commerce of the moving image industry in Minnesota. Since its incorporation in 1981, the Minnesota Film & TV Board has sought to create and support Minnesota jobs in the production industry. For more information, visit the new MFTVB website at http://www.mnfilmtv.org/ .

About MCAD DesignWorks

DesignWorks is an in-house studio where students provide design services for businesses and non-profit organizations under the supervision of experienced MCAD staff members and faculty. Students have an opportunity to learn key skills and build a professional portfolio while expanding their academic interests and contributing to their clients' success. For more information, call (612) 874-3767 or e-mail: pamela_arnold@mcad.edu.

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Source: Minnesota Film & TV Board

CONTACT: Lucinda Winter, Executive Director of Minnesota Film & TV
Board, +1-651-645-3600

Web site: http://www.mnfilmtv.org/

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