[Capdist-auditions] Mayor Stratton Announces the Creation of the Schenectady Film Commission

[drittner at aol.com]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Schenectady, NY 
CONTACT: Don Rittner, Film Commissioner   518 378 9256
drittner at aol.com



Mayor Stratton Announces the Creation of the Schenectady Film Commission

Mayor Stratton today announced the formation of the Schenectady Film 
Commission.

The seven-member panel is made up of local Schenectady professionals who 
have been successful in various ways in the entertainment industry and its 
mission is to draw Hollywood and independent filmmakers to the city and county 
for their productions.

“Schenectady is an ideal place to shoot movies and commercials.   We have a 
400-year-old city that can provide any backdrop a moviemaker could want, “
said Mayor Stratton. “We proved that you can shoot an entire movie in 
Schenectady and save money at the same time,” he said, referring to Winter of 
Frozen Dreams, a movie starring Thora Birch and Oscar winner Keith Carradine that 
was filmed here in 2008.   Members of the Schenectady Film Alliance helped 
the producers with locations and many other aspects of producing the movie 
and saved the company about $100,000 in production costs.

The commission is made up of Don Rittner, city historian and founder of the 
Schenectady Film Alliance, who will head the new commission; David 
Bourgeois, CEO of White Lake Music, a sound production company located in the city; 
Mike Feurstein, a local award winning independent film maker, Voted Area's 
Best Filmmaker by Readers' Polls: Times Union 2008, Metroland 2009; Nick 
Barber, a long time public servant and Schenectady County Real Property Tax 
Director; Joe Tardi, CEO of Tardi Associates, a local marketing firm; Philip 
Morris CEO of Proctors; and Barbara Blanchard, city councilwoman.

“Why Schenectady,” says Rittner.   “It is here that sound on film was 
first invented by GE's Charles Hoxie in 1921. It is here that the first play 
ever televised took place on WGY/WRGB in 1928 and here that the world's first 
television station WRGB began in 1939, he said.   “Schenectady has always 
been a leader in the media and entertainment industry and it makes perfect 
sense for movie making to take place here today,” he added.   Rittner has 
already been scouting and supplying images for two possible future productions 
here.

“We also have a huge pool of talent to draw from,” says Mayor Stratton.   “
Schenectady has actors, producers, writers, lighting experts, and all the 
talent you need to produce high quality movies and commercials in the city,” 
he said.

The commission has also created an advisory board that includes Hollywood 
actress Thora Birch, Schenectady born director and producer Antonio Ferrera, 
movie producers Milka & Millie Stanisic and TV producer Mike de Seve from 
NYC. Also invited to be on the advisory committee are legendary filmmakers 
such as John Sayles, and other local film producers to help in their mission. A 
Web site will be built to lure potential moviemakers to the region as well.

“New York State has a 30% tax credit for movies shot anywhere in our state. 
Shooting movies and commercials in Schenectady is good for our local 
economy but also great for the filmmaker who can take advantage of these tax 
credits.   It's a win-win for all of us,“ said Rittner.


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Commission Members

Philip Morris
Philip Morris is CEO of Proctors.   He has been active in many of 
downtown's development projects.

Joseph Tardi 
Joseph Tardi is President of Joseph Tardi Associates, Public Relations, 
Marketing and Advertising firm located in the Capital Region.

His accounts include Fortune 500 companies, and has been a consultant to 
CBS Records, ABC Television and a member of General Motor's Pontiac division's 
National Advertising Advisory Board.

David Bourgeois
Composer & Producer David Bourgeois is extensively involved in audio and 
visual production, audio postproduction, and music composition, for 
television, film, advertising, and mixed media. David is the President and Creative 
Director of Voice Coaches & White Lake Music & Post, and recently formed 
Bourgeois Farmer Productions with television host Evan Farmer. The company's 
collaborative production facilities and 20 employees are based in Schenectady.


Michael Feurstein 
Michael Feurstein is owner and operator of a local movie lighting rental 
business and production company, respectively Cucumber Alley Lighting and 
MovieQuest.   Michael's work earned him Best Local Filmmaker credit in reader 
polls from Albany's Times Union and the Metroland.  Together with his students 
he won gold medals from state competitions, and Best Video of 2008 in the 
Times Union's contest, and has been featured on many web media hubs. His 
current crew consists largely of apprentices from the high school, and now 
includes students from schools statewide.
 
He's been commissioned to produce a DVD series on instructing autism, 
direct several regional commercials airing now, direct cinematics for the 
blockbuster, award-winning Guitar Hero game series, and recently served as gaffer 
for a documentary aimed at PBS.   Some of his students joined him on these 
sets, and they so impressed the clients that the students have been asked to 
return for future projects.   Michael will soon be working on a historical 
web series based in the capital region, and on upcoming projects conceived by 
his student apprentices.   His colleagues and contacts are based on both 
coasts, a few of them international, and he seeks to use that base to help the 
prosperity of the Film Commission.
 
Michael is writer, director and creator of the award-winning kids' sci-fi 
series eScape now in its third year.


Don Rittner
Don Rittner is the Schenectady County and City Historian and an 
award-winning author of 30 books. He has been a producer of TV and radio shows over a 
30-year period and has appeared in five films. He is the founder of the 
Schenectady Film Alliance. 

Nick Barber
Nick Barber is a life long Schenectadian that has served in many volunteer 
and public positions. Nick served on the County Legislature for 11 years, 
president of the board of Schenectady County Community College, president of 
the Goose Hill Neighborhood Association, Electric City Arts & Entertainment 
District and President of SACC TV-16, public access television.

Nick has been an actor in major and local productions from NYC to the 
Capital region. He also is the host of "Weekend Access" a community oriented TV 
show on MY TV-4, Albany, NY.   He has appeared in "Tony & Tina's Wedding" at 
Proctor's Theater twice, playing the part of Anthony Nunzio, Sr., father of 
the groom.

Mr. Barber is the Schenectady County Real Property Tax Director and lives 
in Schenectady, with his daughter, Robyn.


Commission Advisory Board Includes:

Thora Birch. She was a leading child actor in the 1990s. In the late 1990s 
she moved on to more mature roles, in films such as American Beauty (1999), 
Dungeons & Dragons (2000), and Ghost World (2001). She starred in Winter of 
Frozen Dreams, a movie that was shot entirely in Schenectady and released in 
2009. 

Millie & Milka Stanisic.   The Stanisic sisters are producers and owners of 
Em & Me Productions & Entertainment, a NYC Based film company.   They 
produced Winter of Frozen Dreams among other movies.

Antonio Ferrera.   Schenectady born producer, director, and 
cinematographer, Antonio is the Peabody Award winning producer of The Gates, the 2005 
documentary of the art project of Christo and Jeanne-Claude that took place in 
Central Park.

Mike de Seve.   Television director, writer, producer and Troy native. 
Credits include Saturday Night Live, MTV, Sesame Street and Bevis and Butthead.
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