DIRECTOR'S LETTER
Telling Oregon’s Story - November 2011
We are lucky to work in an industry that shines as a bright spot in questionable times. We are equally lucky to work in a state that promotes our film, television, commercial and new media production resources, and the last 5 years in Oregon have shown record-year after record-year of production business. We did it by working together to earn as much business for Oregon companies and workers as we possibly could.
The current level of production in Oregon is a game-changer. Now, instead of scrambling to earn any piece of business that looks like it may come our way, our job is as much to satisfy and facilitate the competing demands on our local crew, vendors and facilities, whether that comes from a big budget movie or television show, an Oregon-made indie, a national broadcast or new media spot—or as increasingly happens, all of the above, all at once.
SourceOregon is how we promote Oregon. It is a catalog of Oregon’s assets, complete with contact information for every person who makes this industry happen. SourceOregon is also a showcase, with display advertisers celebrated as our top resources—advertising and building brand recognition with decision makers around the state and across the nation.
The directory now publishes within an industry magazine with a comprehensive editorial section covering all aspects of Oregon’s industry from all angles of the state. The format change is exciting, as we get to tell the story of Oregon’s industry in even greater detail. Plus, we pack in a comprehensive directory of crew, equipment and media production services. Producers, coordinators and clients rely on this directory for people, equipment and post-production provisioning, and they know that only qualified and experienced crew and firms are listed.
Oregon’s production industry sparkles with celebrated achievement. The list of award-winners is too great to list here. Suffice it to say that we are glad you are among us.
It is an exciting time for production, and it is an exciting time to be doing business in Oregon. Thank you for joining us to help tell the story.
Tom McFadden
OMPA Executive Director
Hard Work is Paying Off - October 2011
As always, thank you for being a strong community in support of growing jobs and business opportunities in Oregon, as well as for continuing to hold our professional industry standards so high. I don’t know what is more exciting to report – what should prove to be another record-breaking year of production business, or the glowing reviews of the producers who work with our local community. The job activity that we have been able to post to OMPA members is fabulous, and it is pleasing to see postings for large crew calls as well as freelance and permanent positions, at a variety of skill levels.
Wrapping up one of the most active summers in over a decade, we hear the need more than ever of having a comprehensive place to locate professional crew, equipment and production facilities. As an industry association, our job becomes as much to offer tools to facilitate the multiple projects shooting here at a given time as it is to entice projects to do business in our state in the first place. OMPA’s main tool for doing both is to publish the industry directory SourceOregon.com.
We are at this time excited to prepare the “Call for Listings” for new and renewed listings in the SourceOregon.com directory 2012 print edition. Some improvements in publishing the 2012 book are increased circulation, in particular to an even larger list of national commercial production clients. Let’s get even more jobs!
In interviewing line producers and production coordinators about the utility and usability of the SourceOregon.com production directory, the overwhelming concern was that the directory’s usefulness is in its completeness. A more complete book not only makes it easier for a coordinator, producer or department head to find people and resources, it also represents Oregon as a place with a wealth of resources to those producers and line producers whose first impression of the industry comes from reading SourceOregon.com.
One coordinator put it this way, “I wish more people would put their numbers in here… it can take me forever to track down a phone number and that is a pain in the butt. People, keep your contact info in the directory updated!” (Thanks Liz for that encouragement.)
You heard her – let’s get to it! Expect an email this month about renewing your listing by the October 31st early bird deadline to save 10%!
Tom McFadden
OMPA Executive Director