North Carolina Film Office - History

History

Founded in 1980 by Governor James B. Hunt, the office was commissioned to help facilitate and provide a base of operation for North Carolina's burgeoning film industry. Governor Hunt appointed William "Bill" Arnold to lead the office. In 1984, producer Dino De Laurentiis created De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. He built and based a studio complex (now EUE/Screen Gems ) in Wilmington, North Carolina. The area quickly became one of the busiest production centers for film and television east of Hollywood. The North Carolina Film Office was created during a time when new technology, audience demand for location authenticity, and Hollywood’s need for lower production costs were driving filmmakers to search distant sites throughout the United States for fresh places to make movies.

With Bill Arnold leading, the North Carolina Film Commission witnessed a dramatic increase in production during the 1980s and the 1990s. Notable films during this time include: The Color Purple (1985), Dirty Dancing (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Days of Thunder (1990), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), Last of the Mohicans (1992), The Fugitive (1993), and The Crow (1994) . In 1998 Wilmington, NC became the home of the WB's critically acclaimed television network series Dawson's Creek. The series remained in Wilmington until 2003 when it was cancelled and replaced with One Tree Hill—a series on The CW Television Network that still calls North Carolina "home."

While Wilmington, NC continued to sustain itself with television, the international film climate began to shift out of North Carolina's favor. In an effort to keep production costs even cheaper, early 2000 saw production companies making films internationally. The North Carolina Film Commission was made most aware of this trend when it lost Charles Frazier's North Carolina tale, Cold Mountain, to the country of Romania. Hoping to bring an international industry back to the United States, many law-makers across the US began creating incentives packages to encourage filming in individual states. North Carolina's legislature decided on pursuing a competitive incentive program. On August 8, 2006, Governor Mike F. Easley signed into law a legislation offering productions a full 15% tax credit on a minimum $250,000 spend in North Carolina (and not to exceed a $7.5M credit.) Since this program's inception, the NC Film Office has seen a substantial increase in production, as have other state's that have established similar programs. Since 2006, the North Carolina Film Office has recruited the following films: George Clooney's Leatherheads (2008), Nights in Rodanthe (2008) starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, The Marc Pease Experience (2008) with Ben Stiller, and Bolden! (2008), a film about the life of jazz legend Buddy Bolden.

In September 2006, Commissioner Bill Arnold retired after 26 years of service to North Carolina's film industry. The North Carolina Film Office is now part of the NC Department of Commerce's Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. Aaron Syrett (former Director of the Utah Film Commission) was hired as Director of the North Carolina Film Office in spring 2007. While building upon North Carolina's legacy, Syrett is taking a 21st century approach to boost the global visibility of North Carolina's resources.