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STATE OF THE FILM & TV INDUSTRY ONLINE DISCUSSION
ONLINE DISCUSSION TRANSCRIPT
Beth Davenport:
I am officially going to turn this over to Mary Stuart Masterson who will kick us off.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
Hey everybody. Thank you Beth. And thank you all for being here virtually. We really wanted to convene everyone however we could to have a discussion. This is by no means a lecture, nor is it, you know, we joke with each other that none of us has a crystal ball. We can’t predict what’s really going to happen. No one can. So just as a caveat at the outset, I just need to say that myself nor anyone else at Stockade Works is claiming to have answers here, nor does the panel want to be thought of as people who are giving some sort of dictate as to what is to come.
So, I am Mary Stuart Masterson. I am founder of Stockade Works and Upriver Studios, which is a soundstage facility coming to you soon in the Hudson Valley. And also Quality Pictures. We created what we are calling an ecosystem for film and television in order to basically build upon the work of all of our colleagues in the region to scale up facilities and welcome more production to the region and also offer through Stockade Works, as you all know, inclusive trainings to grow a more inclusive crew capacity in the Hudson Valley, to make us ready to welcome more industry to the area. So that is my position in the ecosphere. We have a wonderful panel today and I will let each of you introduce yourselves, starting with William Horberg.
William Horberg:
Hey, I am William Horberg. I’m a film and television producer. My office is here in Kingston. My company is Wonderful Films and I’m currently in post production on a feature film and also a six part limited series that we shot overseas last year that we’re editing now for Netflix and I’m one of the co-chairs of the producers Guild in the East, in New York.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
Lacey, would you tell us something about yourself?
Lacey Schwartz:
Sure. Hi, I’m Lacey Schwartz Delgado. I am a writer, director, producer. I live in Rhinebeck in Dutchess County and I’m an independent producer. I also do deep dive consulting and outreach focused on how to have the largest impact with a project we make. My organization is a non-profit production company called Truth Aide and we do both scripted films and documentary films as well and a variety of other digital projects as well.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
And Peter.
Peter Saraf:
Hi, I’m Peter Saraf. I’m a film and television producer. I run a company called Big Beach, which has offices in New York and LA. I’m currently in post on two features and two docs and working away on a bunch of other stuff.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
So, I’d like to ask each of you to share a little bit of what happened as a result of the Covid shutdowns for you and your projects that were currently either shooting or in post production. Maybe what the impact was on those productions and what you anticipate the completion of those projects will entail.
William Horberg:
Yeah. Well the show for Netflix had a terrific post supervisor, producer, we’re located down in the city, we’re working on a light iron down there and he was pretty anticipatory and had been discussing with Netflix, the possibility of shifting to remote working and cloud collaboration. So we were pretty quickly able to pivot. Netflix does have a very robust infrastructure that they had developed where they really have a centralized hub for all of their content which made it easier. We have an editor, a composer, a music editor, a VFX team. And then, kind of in contrast to that, the feature film that we’re working on in post is based in LA and we shot that on film. So we’ve had a harder time actually transitioning. Our lab is based in Montreal and the government of Quebec deem them a non-essential business, so they had to close. Unfortunately it was right before we had an opportunity to scan a bunch of work that we needed to turn over to our visual effects vendor who is a company in Ireland. So we really had to hit the brakes there. We don’t know when that’s going to be able to resume. I mean, obviously our standards are that it has to be safe and it has to be legal. And we have to have some access to facilities that we need to be able to get in with multiple people to work. So the final mix is on hold. The DI is on hold. It’s not a hundred percent clear if we’ll be able to finish everything on the Netflix show, even though we’re proceeding with cutting and the sound mix and screening episodes for them. I think there’s some aspects of the final finishing and delivery that we haven’t kind of figured out how to work around, unless there’s an end to social distancing.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
Right. And Lacey, did you have a project in development and has this stoppage affected those projects that are in development?
Lacey Schwartz:
Yeah, first and foremost, what I want to acknowledge is, I would assume for all of us, in this industry that things are moving in real time. We had a prep call for this exactly a week ago now and things changed already for me since that time. I think whether or not it is especially for independent filmmakers, sometimes we’re working with brands, sometimes we’re working with a foundation to get some support, sometimes we’re working with distributors. A lot of these things are changing in terms of what people’s priorities are and that’s literally changing in real time. So for me, I feel a little bit lucky that most of the projects I’m working on right now are in development, pitching I think is a little bit hard right now. We had a project that we had just recently pitched, but if it doesn’t fall into something that is already happening in an established way, right now, at least what I’m finding is that there is a six week window from literally April 15th to probably June 1 where people are really waiting to see what is going to happen. Are we going to be able to shoot by mid summer? Are we going to be able to shoot by fall? What are the real questions and thats what I’m finding. I’m working on a documentary with American Masters and PBS and ITBS and for that project we have already shot a fair amount of it and we will need to shoot more, at least do some sound recording more of interviews at the very least. But we’re able to start editing and gathering archival to really start moving the process along, so I’ve found that that’s been working really well. We were already working with an editor in Canada remotely. So that has been functioning pretty well. But then other projects, I’m doing another project with a brand and their priorities are changing in terms of how they’re dealing with this. This project was falling under marketing and now they have a new project that they’re focusing more on their PR and some of their other development stuff because they’re not a traditional media company. And so right now that project has in the last few days just been put on hold. So I’m really finding it very much all over the place. A lot of the question is where is the funding going and what stage is the project at and whether or not it can continue. I mean for another series that we’re doing, a scripted television series, we are in development. So you know, business affairs are still moving ahead and we’re, as many of you may know, that can be in and of itself an endless process. We can do writing and development remotely. So it really is dependent on both the priorities of the company and the stage of the project.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
Definitely. And Peter, what about you?
Peter Saraf:
We were in prep for a little bit of additional photography on a feature up in Calgary when the city declared a state of emergency and shut everything down. So we had to wrap that up. And that project went back into editorial, working remotely. Luckily, you know, most editors have an editing rig at home, so we were able to get all the material into people’s homes and use this software called ever cast for the director to be able to be present. So that one is back in editorial and, trying to figure out if there’s a way to complete the film without the additional photography. That we’re not sure about. So it’s kind of in post, but in a weird limbo. Another feature we finished shooting the Monday before the shutdown, so that’s in post again, editors working remotely using the ever cast. We had a documentary that was supposed to premiere at the Tribeca film festival, and that’s an acquisition film. That’s a film we made with Yoruba, who, I think you’re working with Lacey on another project and it’s a wonderful film that we’re looking for distribution for, we’re now out to distributors in a sort of virtual marketplace doing screenings on links. We’re going through that process and hopefully it’ll be successful. Another documentary continues in post working remotely. We had another feature that was slated to start shooting June 15th. So that’s obviously gonna start on the 15th of who knows when. And other projects that are slated to start later in the year. Spending a lot of time talking to insurance companies and bond companies and other producers and studios and are starting to have those conversations about what are the protocols to get back into production.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
Yeah, I was going to ask you all that question. What constitutes force measure and what you’re finding in terms of remedies for all the overages. Where is the PGA on that right now?
William Horberg:
Well, kind of right in the middle of that. We’ve had a couple of conversations with our broker, this is on the feature film. And as you can imagine, the whole insurance industry is really in a state of crisis. And this particular guy said he’d gotten 115 claims or something in the last four days. A lot of that was production that was in the middle of shooting. So it’s clearly a shutdown. Our situation was a little more complicated. It was kind of an interruption of post due to a civil ordinance. There is language in most insurance policies about access or egress. And because we had no access to the facility that housed all of our negatives, we’ve had to pay a penalty to the visual effects company. The degree to which that will be covered and reimbursed, we don’t know. We’re going to make a claim and it’ll have to get adjusted. But I think everybody is facing a pretty high degree of uncertainty.
Mary Stuart Masterson:
Yeah. It seems like a good time to talk a little bit about anything that might be helpful. We can talk about the fact that we had for a while now been playing around with remote connectivity and remote work. And obviously film is very well set up for that for post-production as we’ve discussed. Film festivals such as Woodstock and Tribeca have been really great and upstate films up here have been really great about finding ways to connect people online to content and filmmakers and producers who have just worked tirelessly to get their film to the point where they might get into a festival, get in or go into to the market and then they have no options. That’s a whole other set of challenges. I think there’ve been a lot of really nimble, positive responses. Fortunately filmmakers in the film industry are very nimble, very creative. We’re used to building a town in a day, we’re like the circus, right? So, I think the hopeful message is that the second we can, I think we will be back to work. We don’t know when that is. And like I said at the beginning, nobody has a crystal ball. There’s a lot here to unpack that has to do with politics. We’re going to avoid that, it’s very hard to avoid, but it’s important to avoid in a two hour discussion. I think we’re going to share some resources, to the positive point, with all of you, that have to do with funds available and resources available for people who are out of work, and that will be made clear somewhere close to the end of this part of the discussion. But I just want to let everybody know that there are resources and they will be made available to you also. I think it’s important to talk about articles such as in the Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Both of those resources will be shared as links that are talking about simply getting back to work, and creating a post Covid response to best practices and set. And also, just whenever we have a sense that it’s safe to go back to work, how our industry in the Hudson Valley in particular is really well positioned to get a lot of this backlogged work that’s in the pipeline. And so if any of you can speak to that a little bit, that would be great to sort of talk about when we can, how we do things differently and when we can, do you think the Hudson Valley is in a good position?
Lacey Schwartz:
I just want to frame it really quickly. We want to talk about hopeful things because people are consuming content, right? I mean it’s hard to obviously make content right now, but it is that content that is done as we all jokingly say, nobody has won this moment more than the Tiger King creators. People are consuming content. So I know it’ll be for people who were going to come out to some festivals and as Peter is talking to Yoruba and a variety of other friends who had films that were premiering this spring. It’s a tricky time, but there is still very much in the market and it’s an interesting moment I think as well that we should acknowledge that at this moment there’s also a variety of streamers that are actually launching at this moment. Literally in the month of April and coming up, you have HBO Match and Peacock and could be just launched. So there’s all sorts of new outlets also coming up. And I think that’s part of the positivity.
William Horberg:
There is going to be a tremendous amount of pent up the demand. Everybody’s quarantined and on lockdown and we are all human and we need social relationships and we need a community. So, I imagine there’s going to be a very robust demand for content. And for the resumption of these cultural activities once it’s again, safe and legal to do so. Netflix of course, is experiencing a tremendous boom right now. Their captive at home audience has exploded. Obviously they have a huge global pipeline that they need to feed. They are by far the biggest studio in history in terms of the amount of production that they have underway in any year. I think they were spending $10 billion on content production over the last year and they’re gonna have a real strong need for product. The stuff that they’re producing themselves is obviously on hold. So I do see some things that are hopeful for the content creators and our filmmaker community.
Peter Saraf:
That’s right, Bill. I think that the need for storytelling and the need for us to process what we’re going through now and to rebuild our communities, it’s going to be imperative. How do we get back into experiencing, how do we get back into creating. Given that the kind of work that we do involves so many people is the big challenge and how we get back into sharing those stories communally. I think the hunger is there, but the logistics are going to be the challenge, but we just have to rise to that challenge.
Beth Davenport:
I have a question here for Peter and, or Bill. Do you think that buyers will end up looking at films if and when they premiere on online film festivals or would premiering on an online film festival rule out acquisition prospects?
William Horberg:
There will be virtual markets. Most people don’t think there are going to be a resumption of film festivals in 2020. But the markets that coexist with the festivals, with sales companies and distributors are being reorganized for a virtual space. So I do think there’ll be a hungry acquisition market that will continue, even as in real life, film festivals are on hold. I think if you put your product out over the internet in a place where everybody has access to it, you’ve taken yourself out of the ability to sell to a distributor. But I think there’ll be more secure and private ways that content will get screened and acquired.
Lacey Schwartz:
In some ways I look at this moment a little bit like what happened to magazines when everything went digital. In terms of distribution and a lot of magazine creative publishers really started being looked at as curators, right? They were the ones who understood how to reach a tastemaker, how to curate what that flow was. And I think that looking at what happened with magazines a decade or so ago, and how a lot of those businesses transformed and were still putting out the content, but they were also curating experiences and also helping brands understand how to have access to that kind of content and the kind of people that want that content. And there are so many great festival programmers, including in our area, who can work really closely with, not only the filmmakers, but also the distributors and the sales agents. And I know that some festivals don’t really function as selling festivals per se, but a festival still knows its audience and knows how to impact and connect with the community in a way that makes them curators of content that I think is going to be relevant.
Beth Davenport:
Great. Just in, another question. So I think this is something we’ve discussed quite a bit at stockade works and even Upriver, but there’s this idea of what happens to production and how we shoot moving forward post Covid. And the question is: are any of you aware of ideas developing regarding new ways to crew our shoots? It seems clear that having 200 plus crew members crowded into a set at once is going to keep us from coming back until after other industries who can manage having smaller numbers physically present. Are we going to be paring down shooting crews or developing new strategies?
Peter Saraf:
These are all the things that everybody’s talking about. How do we come back before there’s a vaccine? And anything that comes back in any industry is going to require a certain level of both virus and antibody testing. But a lot of the conversations that are being had with bond companies and insurance companies and others is that the first productions that can come back are going to have to be limited in terms of locations. A lot of interest in shooting a lot more on stages and quarantining the crew and the cast for two weeks and really trying to create closed environments where everybody’s living and working in one place. I was talking with a group of producers earlier today about how, in some ways, this region is well suited to that. We could take over a resort or hotel and put everybody up and create a closed environment. These are all the kinds of conversations that are going on until we can resume something that approximates something we recognize as more normal.
William Horberg:
It’s a really good question. Peter and I are long time members and active in the leadership of the producers Guild. And I would say one of the foremost issues of the Guild is safety. You know, it’s safety in all forms, the anti sexual harassment policies that we were in the Vanguard of and, you know, every kind of working environment safety possible. So I do think this is an area where the guild, in conversation with insurance companies, with studios, with distributors are going to be very, very focused on–what are the best practices and necessary practices to keep our crews safe.
Lacey Schwartz:
One of the things I think about is how it changes this idea of where does intimate contact happen? Right? So I’ve thought about that for the project I’m working on. If it is allowed to go back into the studio, how do you do that? Do you just boom for sound or do people have, if you’re on an actual set, does everybody have their own Lav? I have to think about how people come into contact and at what stage of production does that happen? How can you limit that? I mean obviously it’s a whole new way of thinking about life in a way that none of us have ever done so before. It definitely applies and I think it’s going to hurt some productions more than others. You know, when I think about the idea of doing verite doc stuff that feels much riskier to me versus going in and doing a studio interview shoot. Not to mention also building sets versus being out and shooting in different areas.
William Horberg:
I mean, one funny thing I’d say and Peter, Lacey, tell me if you agree, I really enjoy working on ever-cast and I wonder in the post production world whether this is kind of a shift that isn’t going to boomerang back as much. You know, it seems like the technology has finally advanced to where being localized isn’t a necessity to the process and I’m curious what you guys think about that.
Lacey Schwartz:
Well, one thing I think about is CGI as well. What we’ve been able to do with that.
Peter Saraf:
Yeah. The way that we’re adapting to this moment is going to definitely influence how we work going forward in a million different ways. It’s hard to even predict.
Beth Davenport:
Definitely. Well, let’s go to the questions. So the idea that Netflix is looking for more content makes sense. Does this similar idea that the forced pause on production will create more time and space for producers to seek out new material also, what makes sense to all of you? Or is industry professional bandwidth entirely consumed with problem solving for current projects? So are producers, are heads of studios still in the development phase and looking for new things or are they trying to get their already greenlit productions out the door or are they just so overloaded with the crisis planning that things are on pause. Any thoughts on that?
Peter Saraf:
I think there’s a combination of all of that going on. So there’s triage for shutting down everything and then how do we fill our pipeline and how do we come back from this and get into production. So, there’s definitely development going on. There’s definitely planning for new projects. We have a number of projects in development and both on the TV and film side. We have a couple of writers rooms that have just gone virtual, which works well for series. But I think everybody’s talking about getting back into production. It’s just a question of when and how, and it’s going to be also a big log jam of stuff that got shut down that still needs to be completed going first and then how do other things go. But I think that, not just Netflix, but every platform, every distributor, every studio, is gonna run out of stuff. And that’s where, just sort of circling back a little bit to an earlier question about acquisitions and stuff, anything that’s completed that’s in the can that hasn’t been released, in a lot of ways, suddenly has a lot more value, in a world in which, nothing can be made for the time being.
William Horberg:
Yeah. My anecdotal experience is that development is active. I got a call from Sony television today, kind of saying, hey, when can this writer be ready? We want to hear the pitch, let’s set up a virtual call. And agents I talk to are going out with things. There had been this fear of a writer’s strike, but now, nobody thinks that that’s gonna happen in a million years in this environment. So I do think there’s going to be a lot of writing going on. It’s something that can happen remotely and through network connections.
Lacey Schwartz:
And I think one of the things that we have to remember is both in this industry and on every level, is the degree to which this is happening to absolutely everyone, it’s pretty mind blowing. And I think we all know that. I got off of a call this morning about a project that had to be put on hold because priorities and budgets are moved around. And you know, we get that email, we feel like, well back off that’s our project going on hold. But it’s everybody, the agency, right? So if it’s somebody’s job is acquisition or somebody’s job is development, that is still their job. And generally speaking, some smaller companies, people are pivoting a bit, but a lot of times people are still trying to do their job, and there are budgetary constraints that are happening. But one of the things we really want to do is continue to be really empathetic to each other about the fact that everyone is trying to get their job done and we’re all trying to figure it out, while we’re honestly still coping and there’s so many hard realities, economic and health that are happening, not to mention mental health issues, that people are trying to cope with. They’re also really trying to innovate and be creative. And I think there is this kind of energy of how we can all work together to do it together. And there is a need for that. I think that’s really important–to keep on remembering as things are happening, that this is happening to all of us.
Beth Davenport:
Definitely. So another question, which is a little less Covid 19 related, but I think important to touch on. So curious if any of you could speak to how, on top of everything else, you feel the recent decision to shift New York’s base tax incentive from 30% to 25% will ultimately affect the volume of a production work in our area, including the $1 million minimum budget requirement for any projects shooting in or around New York City.
William Horberg:
It seems to me that it’s not going to have a dramatic effect on the studio business here, that it’s gonna be more impactful on the independent business, which is too bad. New York is an incredibly robust place where a lot of people are able to make independent content, for a price. And, Getting over that million dollar threshold is not easy for everybody. And I think it’s unfortunate that they’re being excluded in their treatment here. There’s so much production going on everywhere now, or had been, you know, it’s certainly beyond anything that we could have imagined. For those of us who don’t have much hair, who had gotten into the business, you know, 40 years ago, it’s just mind blowing the globalization of production and the hyper abundance of content. New York has such great crews, so much great talent and the Hudson Valley has been exponentially growing over the last couple of years. So I think this will remain a destination for a lot of production. The tax credit is certainly an existential need for New York. The good news is it got renewed at all, because that’s always a piece of legislation that feels like it has some risk involved in it. But it is too bad that it’s been constrained.
Peter Saraf:
Yeah, I would agree with that. I think that in this really shattered economy, we’re going to have to look to and be sensitive to everybody’s needs for resources. And, you know, the film and television industry is only one. However, I think that the tax incentive is a very effective job creation program. And unlike other tax incentives in other industries, it requires a big investment upfront. You have to make the film or television show and then apply for the credit to be returned. And it’s financed by the payroll taxes of the people who work on those shows. So it really does work. Unlike some banking incentives and real estate incentives that really can go south and not create jobs. But the state’s not going to be able to fund everything. So unfortunately it is an arms race between every other state and every other jurisdiction around the world. So, with New York going down, New Jersey just enacted their tax incentive at 30%, and it applies to above the line, which New York’s doesn’t. So I think you’re going to see a lot of production, or some production anyway, shifting to New Jersey from New York, as well as to other places.
Beth Davenport:
Well we still have our extra 10% here, right? So that could be advantageous for the Hudson Valley region.
William Horberg:
Especially the more we are able to develop, which I know is what Stockade Works is all about. Develop local infrastructure– that’s where the 10% really becomes valuable to producers when they don’t have to then import as much crew and resources. And that has been happening here and I hope continues to.
Beth Davenport:
Definitely. We have quite a few questions on chat from people who are seniors in college or just thinking about entering the industry and wondering what impact this might have on jobs and careers and if anyone has any advice about how to break into the film and television industry during or post pandemic.
Lacey Shwartz:
I would say, in terms of the impact, it is a hard time to be looking for a job, although not impossible. But you know a lot of people are home right now. If there is somebody that you are interested in, my advice would not be to reach out to them and say, hey, can I like get to know you or can I chat. But in terms of actually interning or being a resource, there’s a lot of people, to be honest, of my demographic right now, who are not only working but we are also homeschooling our kids. And so, some of what it takes to actually run our lives, for a lot of independent directors and producers, we sometimes tend to staff up around projects. And so this idea of developing relationships and of being an asset, I think it’s a great time to reach out and kind of let people know that you’re out there, especially when they come out and that work may rebound. So it’s a great time to be reaching out and making those connections with people who either might need some assistance now or will be thinking about what they need afterwards.
Beth Davenport:
Great. Bill or Peter, any thoughts on that?
William Horberg:
Well, there’s some things that are kind of eternal and timeless, and some things that are of the moment and kind of specific. And, on the eternal side, I’ve always told people I don’t think there’s ever any penalty for being too aggressive in any pursuit of anything, there’s just a lot of rejection and you have to have a thick skin and be pretty relentless. I would say if you’re in college or leaving college or going to grad school, learn as many skills as you can, learn final cut, learn how to record sound, learn the camera, write if you can write. You want to be as valuable as you can in whatever different area of the creation of content interests you and that you’re passionate about. And it’s a huge world of DIY opportunity now that didn’t exist so much for my generation. There’s a lot fewer gatekeepers and the cost of creating things is nominal. You’re able to see things that just cut through the clutter. The challenge is there’s just so much content, how do you get eyeballs on what you’re doing? On the other hand, you don’t need anybody’s permission to make anything. And if you make something great, I’ve always found that sooner or later, it’s gonna get the attention of people who can help you and recognize your talent.
Peter Saraf:
I have a son who’s a film major in college, so I’m sensitive to this issue, but going back to something Lacey said earlier, just remember that you’re not alone in this. We’re all in the same boat and nobody’s working right now. So if you can’t get a job, it’s because there’s nobody working, and that this will end and there will be opportunities again. Create what you can during this period. But know that you’re not alone, think of it as a pause, not an obstacle.
Beth Davenport:
Yes, good point. A pause, not an obstacle is a great point. I also want to throw out there for anyone looking to enter the film and television workforce, please check out Stockade Works website. Obviously we are not doing any in person training programs right now, but stay tuned. We plan on offering more online programs and more conversations such as this to keep well informed while we’re on pause mode. So, another question for you all. Do you think that this Covid pause is effecting union memberships or joining the union or hour accrual or any of that? Do you have any thoughts?
Peter Saraf:
It’s impossible to accrue hours that you need to accrue if you need to do that because you can’t work. But current membership is obviously turning to the unions for help to get through this period. Whether people are joining right now, I would imagine very little, if any at all.
William Horberg:
Yeah. A lot of these organizations are pausing dues or waving dues. Everybody recognizes that we’re in a crisis of a lifetime here. And the number of unemployed people is unprecedented and these organizations themselves are dealing with their own questions of survival and staffing. The Academy, the Producers Guild, the Actors Fund, there are organizations out there that are very, very conscious of people who are hurting in the industry. And I think it is an industry that tries to take care of its own.
Beth Davenport:
Right. Has anyone heard of any industry standards being set by the union, either with PPEs or best practices to go back to work or anything to protect workers?
Lacey Schwartz:
I just think we’re not there yet.
Beth Davenport:
I want to give our panelists a chance to touch on anything. If you have any last thoughts or things we didn’t get to cover. So Bill, let’s start with you. Any last thoughts or things you wanted to touch on?
William Horberg:
Well, I really just want to thank you and Mary Stuart. I support what you guys have been trying to do in this area, kind of planting your flag in Kingston in the Hudson Valley and really community building. I really admire the whole genesis of Stockade Works. And putting on this webinar today is just one more iteration or aspect of that. And it’s been really gratifying for me, re-locating from 30 years in Hollywood and coming out here. Maybe I thought I was going to get away from the film industry a little bit, but here it is all all around me. And I think the future for Hudson Valley filmmaking is strong.
Beth Davenport:
Great. Thank you for that. I just want to say that we’re happy to be a part of a longstanding film community here in the Hudson Valley and I know Maira from Woodstock film festival joined us on this discussion. And there is of course the Hudson Valley Film Commission. So we’re happy to be part of the coalition to help further film and television here. Lacey, any last thoughts from you?
Lacey Schwartz:
I would just say similarly, I mean even when the question came up earlier from the students is this idea right now of how we are all looking at community. And I think especially for the creative community, we’re not so far being here from New York city. And just see what’s happening in New York city and what living there looks like right now. And I think what it’ll look like for quite a bit of time. Many of us feel so blessed to live here and to be from here. We’ve already seen the continued development of the creative community up here. How does that continue to grow together? Even if we’re currently socially distanced, how do we still continue to build the online upstate film community. I really appreciate having these launched discussions. So the fact that we are in this together, that we are a community of creative people. We want to figure out these solutions together and just to be reminded of that is in and of itself strengthening. So I’m grateful for the organization of it. And I would say to young people, even if you are socially distanced from your film department or other people, try to build that community, especially if you’ve done workshops with Stockade Works. This is the time to continue to not only build those skills, but to build that community of your peers as well.
Beth Davenport:
Great. Thank you. And Peter.
Peter Saraf:
I will just echo the gratitude, gratitude for the opportunity to talk to everybody, share thoughts and feel a gathering of a community. It’s great to connect with everybody and talk about the things that matter the most to all of us.
Beth Davenport:
And we hope to do a lot more of this connecting. I want to quickly introduce Marie who is our executive director at Stockade Works. She wanted to come on and just say thank you on behalf of Stockade Works to all of you for joining us.
Marie Nachsin:
Thank you for joining. Thanks to our speakers and everyone who participated. As Beth and everyone has mentioned, we’re hoping for that boom in production after we’re beyond this. So, in the meantime, while we can’t do our in person trainings, we want to keep these conversations going. We want to stay connected to everyone. We want everyone to stay connected to each other. So look for more of these down the line. If anyone has ideas, certainly throw them our way. We also want to continue to be a resource. There’s so much information flying around about different resources and we’re trying to get all of it, assemble it and communicate to everyone specific information about freelance gig workers in the film and television industry. So Beth is posting something right now. We’re also working on a bigger effort with the Hudson Valley economic development corporation to provide those resources. So look out for that in a couple of weeks. And we’re going to be migrating some of our trainings to an online format where it makes sense because we really want to make sure, not only that everyone is remaining connected, but that we’re continuing our trainings in any way that we can, so that when we eventually have this great production boom, we’ll all be ready. The crew base will be here. So we’ll be ready to get involved in that and crew up for all the production. So look out for more information coming through our website or newsletter. And again, thank you everyone for joining today. We look forward to doing more.