CULLMAN — With legislation making the state more attractive to movie projects now in effect, local officials are trying to keep Cullman on the minds of those who help filmmakers find shooting locations.

A representative from the Alabama Film Office (AFO) visited the area last week, meeting with local economic and government officials in an effort to make Cullman a more viable movie location.

Kevin Jackson, with the Cullman Economic Development Agency, said locals requested the meeting to provide the state liaisons with any information they might need about the area.

“We had seen where Baldwin County did something similar, and we think we have a lot to offer, so we wanted to bring them in so they’ll know what we have if something comes through,” Jackson said.

Alabama typically loses southern movie location shoots to neighboring states, mostly because of a lack of competitive incentives, but the recently passed HB 243 bill hopes to change that. The amount of incentives per project has increased from $10 million per project to $20 million per project, while the rebate amount is set to increase from $10 million to $20 million by 2015 — comparable to surrounding states.

“We talked a lot about the incentives they’re offering now, and what we would need to be prepared to do to be involved,” Jackson said. “I think this puts us on par with surrounding areas, and really makes Alabama more attractive.”

The Alabama Film Office was recently rolled under the umbrella of the Alabama Department of Commerce, along with the Alabama Development Office, which helped put it squarely back on Cullman’s economic development radar.

Cullman County has hosted film projects in the past, including the 2004 indie film Lightning Bug, last year’s A&E reality TV show pilot Flipping Dixie, and an early 1990s music video by Garth Brooks. Apart from those, there hasn’t been a lot of film activity in the county. Hopefully, that will change soon.

“They were impressed with what they saw, and we’re just trying to help move Cullman forward,” Jackson said. “They said Cullman really has a lot of potential, which is very positive.”

Cullman County Museum Curator Elaine Fuller, the local contact for the state film office, said the tour had local officials trying to pitch unique amenities that make Cullman stand out from other southern locations.

“We visited venues within the city and the county that would be possible sites for a movie production,” Fuller said. “We went through Cullman, Sacred Heart and Saint Bernard, to Wallace State, and into Garden City and downtown Hanceville. We tried to point out things other towns wouldn’t have, for instance the train bridge that goes across Mulberry River at Garden City, some buildings located in Garden City, all of our churches, and just the places that stand out from the rest.”

Though it could be some time until Cullman piques the interest of a location scout, Fuller said she hopes the area’s proactive approach can bring in a project sooner rather than later.

“We’re trying to make them aware of the sites around the county that would be good locations for movies,” she said. “We want to be proactive in bringing some film projects to Cullman.”

A film shoot would obviously create free promotional press for Cullman, but Fuller said the true benefit would be the economic impact created by the jobs around the film, from food vendors to long-term hotel stays.

“They are interested in sites that could house the film crew, feed the crew, and have conference rooms available for planning, and we can provide all of that,” she said. “It’s all about economic development, with having those people come, stay here, spend their money here, and put that money into our economy.”



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.