What’s the latest on the film industry in Louisiana?
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Film Louisiana, which used to be the Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association, is getting a revamp to actively advocate for the film industry in the state.
After the pandemic, along with writer’s strikes and union disputes caused major setbacks, they are now bolstering their efforts to help the industry hit its stride once again.
WGNO’s Kenny Lopez headed to The Ranch film studios to talk to the president of Film Louisiana and Head of Possibilities at The Ranch, Jason Waggenspack.
“We’ve recently gone through a re-brand, and we wanted to be more marketing-minded and forward so we can drive more production to Louisiana,” Waggenspack said.
He went on to say, “Working toward being a little more communicative to our legislators as to who we are in the industry.”
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And who they are has proven to be successful over the years. In 2022, the state hit the most film productions they’ve ever had.
“The film industry is over 100 years old in the state of Louisiana and since then we’ve had over 3,000 film productions that have come to the state. This has driven up a billion dollars in business, and $300 million in local payroll and over 10,000 jobs annually,” Waggenspack said.
Snags with the pandemic and strikes broke their stride, but not for long.
“Some things are out of our control. That really pushed production outside the United States. They are looking to Canada and Europe, and we’re really working on trickling that back up,” he said.
Working with economic incentives and nurturing local talent has them hitting the mark lately.
“New Orleans has seen a huge hit with Netflix’s ‘Hit Man,'” he said.
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They filmed AMC’s “May Fair Witches,” which has also been a hit, at The Ranch film studios.
According to a recent study from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, nearly half of visitors indicated that film or TV created in Louisiana was a motivator to visit, which has led to over $2.1 billion per year in film-inspired tourism.
86% of Louisiana residents statewide say that film and television shows shot in Louisiana benefit the state.
“We have a massive facility, lots of production space here at The Ranch. We take on large episodic TV projects and feature films here at this property,” Waggenspack said.
Other recent productions filmed at The Ranch include: “The Parish,” “Spinal Tap 2” and “Interview with the Vampire,” as well as some Disney shows. A new feature film will begin production at these facilities this September.
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