Art Umezu spends much of his day on the phone fielding calls from high-powered producers and directors in Los Angeles. Sometimes the calls come from Japan, where a producer asks how they can shoot a television commercial on Kaua‘i’s gleaming
Art Umezu spends much of his day on the phone fielding calls from high-powered producers and directors in Los Angeles. Sometimes the calls come from Japan, where a producer asks how they can shoot a television commercial on Kaua‘i’s gleaming beaches featuring some new Japanese fashion. Sometimes Kaua‘i’s new fulltime Film Commissioner is just “talking story” with a regular Joe wanting to learn more about some popular movie filmed here, such as Donovan’s Reef or Jurassic Park.
For Umezu, every call matters. Because it’s not always about winning the big Hollywood deal, says the self-described master of protocol: It’s about the details.
“It’s about the smaller stuff, the commercials, the magazine shoots. If you do a good job on those, the big-time productions will come,” he said. “You know, it’s not always about making those big deals.” Umezu said that there are countless inquiries from smaller producers wanting to work on Kaua‘i, and he says he’ll be “selective” in choosing which productions the county supports. He figures that people like Steven Spielberg already know about Kaua‘i’s charms and will come back again when the time is right.
“You know, Spielberg had already been here before, so it was just a matter of him finding the right movie. He already knew he was coming back to Kaua‘i,” he said.
Umezu says he’ll spend his first months in office promoting Kaua‘i through quality commercial shoots and television productions. He’s already talking about getting the Food Network’s latest culinary cutie, Rachael Ray, here for a show or two.
“She’s the perfect kind of person to show off Kaua‘i,” he said. Ray’s wholesome charm is exactly right for promoting Kaua‘i, he says, and he intends to encourage that kind of production here.
Umezu’s management style stems from a lifetime of learning the fine art of protocol, and nobody does protocol better than the Japanese. Born in Tokyo, Umezu came to Hawaii at 13 and spent his youth on Oahu’s dusty Ewa plains, attending Waipahu High School.
The 53-year-old, came to Kaua‘i in 1975. Ten years later, he was appointed Kaua‘i’s film commissioner under the Kunimura administration from 1986-1988. So his new gig is really an old job, one he held some 18 years ago, long before the Internet or cellphones made communication a snap; long before compact disks or sleek PowerPoint presentations wowed audiences and sealed multi-million dollar film deals. “I’d say the biggest change in the business has been the advent of technology,” he says.
“With the Internet and all that, things have really gotten a bit easier. Still, it’s not the machines or the technology that make decisions. It’s the person who makes the decisions.” Ultimately, he says, the job of wooing producers to Kaua‘i requires a handshake and a smile, and will fall on Umezu to leverage his often playful personality to charm and disarm demanding Hollywood types. That, along with the relaxing ambiance of Kaua‘i, the unparalleled beauty of location, and the extraordinarily competent abilities of two field assistants, is sure to grow Kaua‘i’s film industry. You can’t force producers to come here, Umezu said. Instead, it’s a kind of confident seduction, only the details – the protocol – have to be in place. Those can include everything from permitting, to airline tickets, to hotel reservations, to thoughtful gifts. Certainly, sleek media guides and strategically designed advertising are important, and the county will continue to pump over a $100,000 into the Film Commission’s budget, but a little “ho‘omalimali” goes a long way, he says.
“The spirit of the people of Kaua‘i will entice them,” he said. Under Umezu’s watch, those techniques drew Hollywood here to film “Throw Mama from the Train,” starring Danny DeVito, and “Island of the Alive” with Michael Moriarity.
The years in between saw Umezu honing his skills, using those same techniques to bring Kaua‘i-born singer Glenn Medeiros here to film the music video for Medeiros’ hit song “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You,” shot entirely on Kaua‘i in 1988. He spent countless hours promoting the modeling and music careers of Kaua‘i’s talent, and he served for nine years as the Hawai‘i liaison for the late Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune and his family. His production team has brought top stars to Hawai‘i including New Kids on the Block as well as Sanrio’s Adventures in Paradise at Hawai‘i Theater. His compositions include “Aloha to the World,” a post-Hurricane-‘ Iniki anthem which raised $40,000 for six nonprofit Kaua‘i groups including Kaua‘i Disaster Fund, KCC Foundation, Wilcox Foundation, Punana Leo Hawaiian Studies, Governor’s Literacy Program and Mokihana Festivals. In 1989, he was commissioned to compose “The Caring Touch,” an anthem for Wilcox Hospital’s 25th-anniversary event. Umezu was recognized with the Malie Award at the Mokihana Composer’s Contest in 1990 as a key supporter of island music and musicians. In 1996, Umezu produced the annual Kaua‘i Hula Festival, which brings hundreds of hula dancers from Japan to Kaua‘i.
Film Facts
The Film Commission program is measured primarily on economic impact and jobs creation through the tracking of film revenues. Revenues are tracked by the State Film Office on a calendar year basis. For 2003, the Office tracked direct revenues of $1,871,720 attributable to Kaua‘i’s film and television production industry.
- Budget for FY 2004 Salaries: $37,464 Operations: $82,100 Program total: $119,564
- Major productions for Kaua‘i during fiscal year 2004 included:
“Hilary Duff’s Island Birthday Bash” (September 2003) – one hour special on Warner Brothers network. Filmed entirely on Kaua‘i at various locations on the island.
“Endurance: Hawaii” (June 2004) – Reality show for kids on NBC Discovery Kids (Saturday mornings), now in its third year. Production took place in and around Wainiha on the north shore. Despite numerous challenges associated with the production, the resulting show aired September – October 2004 and provided excellent exposure for Kaua‘i. Additionally, numerous smaller productions took place on Kaua‘i throughout the year, including commercials, infomercials, and still photo shoots for catalogues and other publications.
Past productions: Jurassic Park; Six Days, Seven Nights; Outbreak; South Pacific; Blue Hawaii; Donovan’s Reef; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Dragonfly; Jurassic Park III; To End All Wars; Dinosaur; Mighty Joe Young; George of the Jungle.
- The Kaua‘i Film Office, in conjunction with the Hawaii film offices on Oahu, Maui and Big Island, as well as the State Film Office (DEBDT), operate as a consortium under the name of Film Offices of Hawaiian Islands. FOHI attended trade shows, film festivals, and met with and marketed to industry leaders and decision makers about the benefits of filming in Hawai`i. Trade shows and festivals traditionally attended were the Sundance Film Festival, American Film Institute Film Festival, Locations Trade Show, and the Hawaii State Film Industry Day.
- The Kaua‘i Film Commission assisted local organizers and Hawaii Independent Film Festival in presenting a number of features locally in November 2003, in conjunction with the statewide event.
