Why has the film industry been a success story on Kaua’i? Judy Drosd, film commissioner for the Kaua’i County Office of Economic Development, offers these answers: l “First and foremost, the vision of Mayor Maryanne Kusaka and the County Council.”
Why has the film industry been a success story on Kaua’i? Judy Drosd, film
commissioner for the Kaua’i County Office of Economic Development, offers these
answers:
l “First and foremost, the vision of Mayor Maryanne Kusaka and the
County Council.” County government receives no direct financial benefit when
filming happens here, and stepped up with film-promotion dollars after Governor
Ben Cayetano slashed nearly $50,000 worth of state funding earmarked for the
Kaua’i film office.
l “The awesome beauty of Kaua’i.” There is intense
competition between locations, and Kaua’i often wins because it is an “island
full of startling beauty and stark contrast.”
l Business partners, economic
development and non-profit organizations all support efforts to bring film
production work here. “Luckily, people on Kaua’i love the film
industry.”
Funding from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority for the four main
counties and state film office allowed the offices to sponsor Hollywood film
and TV forums to help spread the word even further about filming on Kaua’i and
in Hawai’i, Drosd said.
Establishing a film industry on the island that
provides work for professionals all year is one key goal that will make selling
the island to filmmakers even easier, Drosd said. Fiscal 2000 came close.
If Kaua’i and Hawai’i can be shown to be as inexpensive as Los Angeles for
filmmakers to shoot in, they’ll gladly come, because “they love it here” and
it’s convenient by airliner, said Drosd.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis
can be reached at pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
