Arizona has a long and illustrious history as a filming destination. With increased collaboration among film partners statewide, Arizona is poised to once again become a premier filming destination. As outlined in this month’s cover story, the economic impact of film and digital media on Arizona is substantial.
The Arizona Film & Digital Media Program (the State’s Film Office) is the statewide, and often first, point of contact for companies and individuals seeking to film in Arizona. Along with Regional Film Offices, the Arizona Production Association and other state agencies, the State Film Office provides assistance and resources to prospective media producers at no cost. Since 2016, the State Film Office has assisted almost 1,600 projects seeking to film in Arizona.
The State Film Office has also expanded Arizona’s location offerings through strategic partnerships with the Navajo Nation and the State of Sonora, Mexico. In addition, two signature programs of the State Film Office, “Film Ready Crew” and “Film Ready Communities” have greatly added to the state’s film infrastructure and viability, including growing the state’s film workforce.
It is Arizona’s time to shine, and we are ready!
In Business Magazine delves into the economic benefits and potential the film industry offers, with input from the film commissioners in Phoenix’s economic development department and Tucson’s tourism bureau, among others. The film industry is gaining strength, thanks to the new incentive program, and Senator David Gowan, the author of the bill that created the program, shares his views on what it will mean for Arizona.
Whether promoting the region to attract business or promoting a business to attract customers, branding is critical. In this month’s feature article “Best Practices for Activating Brand Purpose,” Mich Duckler — who has worked with such companies and Coca-Cola and Deloitte — shares an excerpt from his book The Future-Ready Brand: How the World’s Most Influential CMOs are Navigating Societal Forces and Emerging Technologies.
The impact of AI on business and the workforce continues to be a hot topic whose upsides and downsides are debated from many angles. In this month’s Roundtable feature, Julia Grace Samoylenko explores a potential advantage it offers to impact workforce to employees’ betterment: predicting future skills that will be in demand.
Briefs, Healthcare, Legal and other regular departments present In Business Magazine’s signature variety of articles on industry trends, insights into the local business community and updates on operational issues.
Residential real estate is big business in Arizona and this month In Business Magazine showcases some of the Valley’s top professionals in the Top Residential Real Estate Leaders special section.
I want to thank In Business Magazine for giving me this opportunity to speak about the exciting activity happening in the film industry in Arizona. I hope you will enjoy the many informative stories in this August edition of In Business Magazine.
Sincerely,
Matthew Earl Jones
Director
Arizona State Film Office, Arizona Commerce Authority
The director of the Arizona Film & Digital Media Program, Matthew Earl Jones has more than 40 years of production experience in the New York, Los Angeles and Phoenix markets. He has also produced more than 50 national and international television commercials, including ones starring Queen Latifah, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ray Charles.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, Jones began his career in the fields of advertising and brand management in New York City. He is the son of pioneering actor Robert Earl Jones and half-brother of legendary actor James Earl Jones.
