As the film industry revs up in Michigan, thanks to the state's enticing new tax benefits, Muskegon residents are discussing how to position the Lakeshore city as a prime location for filming, how to land film crew jobs, and how to find other ways the city can get involved in the industry boom.
According to excerpts from the story:
NORTON SHORES — A discussion about the prospects for West Michigan, and specifically Muskegon, becoming a major player in the film industry took the place of a blockbuster movie Monday night in theater No. 5 inside the Cinema Carousel.
The audience, which numbered 70 people, seemed to be just as entertained as the economic and social implications of films being shot in West Michigan were highlighted. Michigan's new movie-making incentives have generated a recent surge in movies being made in the state.
That curiosity was on display locally Monday. The audience at the informal town hall meeting mainly featured young adults who have worked in the film industry outside the state and other adults who were interested in the jobs it could create.
"We don't have to leave our hometown anymore," said Stephanie Marion, a local resident who has spent 32 years working in costumes and design for the film industry. "It's here."
Read the complete story here.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.