Film industry leaders from around Arizona will participate in an Industry Town Hall on August 16 at the University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography*.

The event is a call for business leaders and owners to join with film and television professionals who live in Arizona to craft new economic solutions together, it is sponsored by The Tucson Film Office (TFO) and the Arizona Film and Media Coalition (AFMC.) Doors open at 6:00 p.m., the panel discussion begins at 7:00 p.m. A Q+A session will follow. THE EVENT IS FREE and open to the public. SEATING IS LIMITED. RSVP to PCatalanotte@visittucson.org by August 13.

Panelists:
• Shelli Hall, Director, Tucson Film Office
• Mike Kucharo, President, Arizona Film and Media Coalition
• Barry Aarons, Aarons and Associates, lead lobbyist for incentive legislation
• Steve Kozachik, Ward 6, Tucson City Councilman

Moderator:
• Harry Tate, former Director of the Arizona Film Office at the Arizona Department of Commerce

The panel will discuss why state film incentive legislation has failed to pass two years in a row, and what is being done now to ensure the bill’s passage in 2013. A Multimedia Incentive Program has the power to create thousands of high wage jobs, generate millions of dollars in economic impact for Arizona-based businesses and enrich city, county and state coffers with new tax revenue.

*The Center for Creative Photography, 1030 North Olive Road, is located in the Fine Arts complex in the northwest corner of the UA campus. Convenient parking is available at the Park Avenue Garage on the northeast corner of Park and Speedway, with direct access to the Center’s front door via a pedestrian underpass.

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The Tucson Film Office is a department of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Tucson and Southern Arizona as a convention, visitor and film production destination. It is financially supported by the City of Tucson, Pima County, the Town of Oro Valley and more than 500 individual and business members.

The Arizona Film and Media Coalition’s mission is to enhance the economic vitality of the Arizona film and media communities through public relations, education and legislation.