HOLLYWOOD PRODUCERS COMING TO SARASOTA COUNTY FLORIDA

Hollywood Producers Coming to Sarasota County Florida

Sarasota, FL (Oct. 15, 2009) --The Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office (SCFEO), a division of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County (EDC), will host a prominent group of Hollywood producers for a multiday visit showcasing Sarasota County, Fla., October 18-21, 2009.

According to Jeanne Corcoran, director of the SCFEO, the purpose of the visit is threefold. “We are hosting the producers in hopes of building stronger relationships with the movie-making industry and to expose producers to the many unique, film-friendly assets and film-savvy leaders of Sarasota County,” she said. “The visit also provides an opportunity to educate our community about the realities of the industry and what producers want, need and expect.”

Confirmed producers attending are Richard Baratta, Amy Robinson, Carol Cuddy, Jane Bartelme, Ron Bozman, Bridget Johnson, Wren Arthur, and Haley Sweet.  A small sample of their credits includes “The Taking of Pelham 123” (2009), “Julie & Julia,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” “A Thousand Words,” “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Smart People,”  “Silence of the Lambs,”“Spider-Man 2-3,” “Jerry Maguire,” “ The Departed,” “A Prairie Home Companion,” “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” and “Into the Wild.”

During the visit, producers will visit unique and unusual sites from the fully restored 1920’s Venetian gothic Ca d’Zan estate of John and Mabel Ringling of circus fame, to award-winning soft, white, sugar sand beaches; from the world renown Asolo Repertory Theater to the stunning new Sarasota Opera, to one of the nation’s foremost amateur theaters, The Venice Theater.  They’ll tour the eclectic St. Armand’s Circle on Lido Key on foot as well as the pristine Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal waterway by yacht, and numerous sites in between by luxury vehicles.  The visiting producers will meet with public officials from the cities of Sarasota, Venice and North Port, the Town of Longboat Key, and Sarasota County over gourmet meals or at private and public receptions.  The last evening they are in Sarasota County, the producers will share their knowledge, experience and insight through a question-and-answer panel discussion at the Ringling College of Art and Design, an internationally acclaimed private college that is in the top five schools worldwide for major feature length animation and SFX training.  Hundreds of attendees are expected at the panel discussion.

Sponsors of the visit include the Longboat Key Club and Resort, BMW of Sarasota, Ringling College of Art and Design, Marine Max, Caragiulos, City of Sarasota, Benderson Development Company, LLC, Mary Kenealy Events, Mosaic Cuisine and Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.

Emily S. Sperling

  Community Relations Director

  Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County

  Live Oak Corporate Center

  2601 Cattlemen Road Suite 102

  Sarasota, FL 34232

  (941) 309-1200 ext. 106 Fax (941) 309-1209

  Cell Phone:  (941) 387-4711

  esperling@edcsarasotacounty.com />

The Sarasota County Film & Entertainment Office (SCFEO) is a division of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County.  It seeks to attract film, television, commercial, documentary and other media production to create content, produce and shoot on location in Sarasota County, as well as  to serve the region’s resident production community, improve and expand its resources, provide intergovernmental liaison and proactively market and promote Sarasota County’s assets to the entertainment industry as a whole.  The SCFEO is a member in good standing of the Association of Film Commissioners International, Film Florida and other industry organizations. class="newsBoxLink">www.filmsarasota.com.

The EDC of Sarasota County is the private, not-for-profit corporation leading the community’s economic development strategy to add high-wage jobs and diversify the local economy. The EDC provides business assistance to companies in Sarasota County and helps forge solutions to community challenges that affect quality of life. The EDC works in partnership with chambers of commerce, local governments and other organizations throughout the county and the region. For more information, visit www.edcsarasotacounty.com or contact Emily Sperling, Director of Communications for the EDC at:  esperling@edcsarasotacounty.com , cell phone:  941.387.4711

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