We weren’t the only ones who noticed.
So did Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, who likewise took note of the number of film-related stories—seven in total—that made Port City Daily’s top-25 list of the most read stories of 2013.
Those stories and their rankings: the premieres of “Christmas in Conway” (No. 2), “Under the Dome” (No. 3) and “Iron Man 3” (No. 7); the casting of Mary-Louise Parker (No. 11) and Andy Garcia and Mandy Moore (No. 17) in “Christmas in Conway”; “Sleepy Hollow” selecting Wilmington for production (No. 18); and the premiere of “We’re the Millers” (No. 22).
Noting those numbers, Griffin said last week: “It just goes to show you that it is a huge, important part of the local community here.
“People really like to follow that news. They like to see what’s going on; they find that exciting, they find it interesting. And when you see it makes up greater than 30 percent of the news stories based on readership,” he said, “you can’t deny that it’s more than just a little part of our community here.
“It’s a big part of what people think of and identify with Wilmington.”
We couldn’t have said it better.
And to that end, Port City Daily is now offering a section specific to news about the local film industry. In addition to our breakdowns of news by geography, the dropdown menu on our “Local News” tab now features a “Film” section, where all of our film-related stories are compiled.
From updates on local filming impacts to in-depth features on industry issues, the section is your source for all things film in the Wilmington area, which Griffin said is sure to see more “Lights! Camera! Action!” this year.
“Going into early 2014, I think we’re in a better position than we have been in many years, knowing that we have ‘Sleepy Hollow’ that is returning and coming back here; we know that we do have ‘Under the Dome,’ which is returning and coming back here,” he said. “A lot of times we start a year and we don’t necessarily know what is coming in and what we can count on, and it kind of trickles in over time. But to know that we have those two shows already…”
Griffin said talks have been underway with other productions looking to film here, describing those talks as “looking very positive.”
“They’re just not 100 percent yet,” Griffin said. “But I think here in the first couple of months of the year we’re going to see some really good activity.”
This year will also see plenty of news about North Carolina’s film tax incentive, which is set to expire by the end of the year.
“2014’s going to be another sort of pivotal year for us in a different sense, given that the film incentive will be expiring at the end of the year,” Griffin said. “This spring, the legislature will be in session, and we know that the film incentive will be looked at, at that point in time. And that sort of paints the future for us.”
Whatever that future holds, Port City Daily will report it—and compile it—in our film news section.
To access the section, just scroll over the “Local News” tab on our main page header and click on “Film” in the dropdown menu. Or, simply click here.
