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iFilm Productions Helps Chevron Celebrate Environmental Stewardship

DAVE HENRY - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:00:00 GMT

iFilm Productions just finished a video on the closure of the McKinley mine, in far western New Mexico near the Navajo capitol in Window Rock, Arizona. The mine has been at the forefront of environmental science and remediation, and Navajo farmers and ranchers are returning to tracts leased by Chevron over the last 50 years.

In addition, Chevron donated over 200 acres of scenic hilltop land to the Navajo Code Talkers Association, where they're building a museum and veterans' center.

iFilm Productions' Dave Henry wrote and shot the piece with an assist from Richard Lacy. Post production by Rob Engle Films and Audiobob. The video is on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/xeCmvbOluhY

"The combination of dramatic landscapes and wild storm clouds had us pulling over on the highway every five minutes," says Henry. "Looking at the sky so much, we even got our SUV stuck in the mud on a back road. Way back. Luckily, a local guy with a big truck and some cable happened by within oneminute. The Navajo spirits were with us!"

The three-day shoot near Window Rock, Arizona came during the heart of the desert southwest's "monsoon" season, and the roaring cloud formations make for great time-lapse sequences. Window Rock itself, the sacred heart of Navajo history, forms the background for several shots.

5-Oct-11 11:00 AM

Astrodome Studios project featured in today's "Hollywood Reporter."

Cynthia Neely - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

"Friday Night Lights"

Made in Texas

Can an incentive boost and a flurry of new soundstages keep Texas' production economy from flagging?

By Randee Dawn

March 25, 2009, 09:20 PM ET

Texas Film Commission

Bob Hudgins, director
1100 San Jacinto, Ste. 3.410
Austin, TX 78701
512-463-9200
film@governor.state.tx.us
governor.state.tx.us/film

Texas incentives

It has got vast open spaces, sprawling urban cities, enormous cattle ranches and residents with outsized, outspoken opinions. Yep, size really does matter in Texas.

Except when it comes to production incentives.

"Bless its heart, Austin is amazing, but they don't have a tax incentive. Well, 5% -- that's very small," says "Whip It!" co-producer Kelli Konop, referring to the state's base production incentive.

The Drew Barrymore-helmed indie was written by an Austinite (Shauna Cross), and tells the tale of a girl who discovers her dreams on a Texas-based roller derby circuit. But, other than a few days in Austin, "Whip It!" filmed in Michigan.

The Great Lakes State hardly seems a likely substitute for Texas, but the spackle of movie magic goes a long way when dollars and cents drive production (like Michigan's 40%-42% refundable tax credit). Thanks to the incentive whirlwind that swept across the U.S. in recent years, Texas -- whose legislature meets just every two years -- has been left in the dust.

So Texans are messing with the status quo, starting with incentives. The state House tentatively passed a bill on Wednesday which would boost financial incentives. At press time, a final vote is expected today on the bill -- good news for the Texas Film Commission.

"New Mexico and Louisiana are really killing us now," Texas Film Commission director Bob Hudgins says. "It's really stark how much we've been impacted in features and on television as well."

The state is new to this incentive business, having introduced its first package in 2007. But that was too little too late; two years later, Texas has become almost a production ghost town. In 1998, studio, independent films and television were pulling in a little more than $104 million in production spend to Texas, half of which came from studio features. By 2007 that number fell to $87.2 million, with barely $1 million of the total coming from studio features.

That's not how it was supposed to be. For years, Texas got by on its rugged good looks, boasting a landscape that can shoot for almost any turf. Such benefits recently brought HBO Films' Claire Danes and Julia Ormond-starrer "Temple Grandin" to Texas, though the decision to film there was never a "slam dunk," producer Scott Ferguson says.

"It took a fair amount of analysis to figure out where to go," he says, noting that spots in Arizona, New Mexico and Canada were considered. Ultimately, Texas became home for scenes that will represent New Hampshire as well as the state itself.

But there was more to it, as Ferguson acknowledges: The largely Austin- and Dallas-based film crew provided an experienced crew base, some fresh from the University of Texas at Austin. "Even with the small incentive," he says, "it not only cost out well but it was the most efficient way to do it."

Texas-based director Terrence Malick wrote his upcoming "The Tree of Life" for the state, says producer Sarah Green. They considered other areas to base production, "but creatively the other states

didn't work." An excellent quality of life in Austin, where production was based, also was very important "for us displaced East or West coasters," Green says. And, "I think it's unlikely that anywhere else we would have found a young boy whose performance experience included rodeoing."

That holy grail of production, a regular TV series, set up shop in 2006 when NBC's "Friday Night Lights" moved in, taking over a football stadium and making Austin a home base for several months of the year.

"There are things that can be done in Texas that you couldn't have done in Louisiana or New Mexico," producer Nan Bernstein says.

But Texas' good looks aren't enough any longer. Fox's"Prison Break" escaped to California after two seasons in Texas -- then got canceled, while "Friday Night Lights" remains on the bubble. Even the hotly buzzed-about Austin film culture, rife with home-base heroes Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater and the annual South By Southwest film festival, isn't enough to attract massive outside production. (That said, animation and video game production remains huge within Texas, thanks to the high-tech cluster of Dell, IBM and Texas Instruments.)

On the facilities front, the real soundstage news is coming from the private sector, where entrepreneurs are clearing space and building furiously. Producer Tommy G. Warren has set up a 200-acre backlot just outside Austin for his Spiderwood Studios, a space that includes river frontage and three soundstages (with a fourth on the way).

"It's a lot of money to put in, and it's high risk. But I'm not the kind of person to worry," Warren says. "If the economy pops back up and the legislature passes (incentives), I could see Texas moving forward very fast."

Another large-scale operation is the planned Villa Muse community, where designers intend to construct a one-stop shop for producers that includes soundstages, recording studios and post facilities, as well as single- and multifamily residences, so that workers can live in the community where they work.

"We want to do what we love, but stay close to home," says Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, vp of strategic development for Villa Muse. "That's fundamental to the concept of the project."

Despite the City of Austin rejecting their building proposal, organizers hope to break ground on the project by year's end, possibly in another Texas city.

And in classic think-big fashion, one massive structure already has been erected with a potential 140,000-square-foot soundstage -- and it's ready for immediate use. That's the Houston Astrodome, which the Greater Houston Global Management Group is organizing for productions.

"It's a giant open barn," GHGMG founder Elise Hendrix says. "It's exactly what we need. It can turn an immediate revenue. It's ready right now."

The company will renovate the interior (one-time concession stands can't currently substitute for production offices), but Hendrix indicates they will submit their final proposals to the county very shortly.

"They're as anxious to get this show on the road as we are, because no one's paying any rent over there," GHGMG vp Cynthia Neely says.

So if you build it -- and that includes constructing a workable incentive -- will they come? Texans seem to have little doubt that, with some attention, the Lone Star State won't be lone much longer. But, says Hudgins, the window of opportunity will not be open forever -- not with that legislature meeting so infrequently.

"If we don't do something effective this time, we'll have to wait until 2011, and I fear by that time we'll have 50% of our workforce working out of state," he says. "It'll get to the point where it's really hard for us to recover. It's now or never."

www.astrodomestudios.net/

26-Mar-09 8:00 AM

FREE FOOD FRIDAYS

Dwight Cook - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Come by for lunch this Friday 12:30-1:30. We will have hamburgers and Kosher Hotdogs created by our resident chef, Mark Meyer, on our industrial size stainless steel grill. Does it take a chef to make great hamburgers? It’s the secret ingredients he uses in the meat. Mark is a chef, and we don’t have the heart to tell him otherwise.

On past Fridays, we have had some great networking. It’s our goal to promote Houston creative resources both in and out of town. Give us a ring as late as Friday morning and we’ll throw one on the grill for you.

Come to Sound Works this and any Friday! Every week it's a different menu and new faces. Eat, sit by the pool, and meet some other creative people. You never know what will happen.

Sound Works
7110 Gary St. (map)
(7 blocks north of IKEA)
Houston, TX 77055
713.960.8222

23-Mar-09 3:00 PM

Nauhaus Gallery presents the exhibition Chris Hedrick: Uncommon Objects

Lou Congelio - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Chris Hedrick: "Uncommon Objects"

March 29-April 23, 2008

Opening Reception:

Saturday, April 5

6pm-9pm

Nauhaus Gallery

223 E. 11th St.

Houston, TX 77008

Nauhaus Gallery presents the exhibition Chris Hedrick: "Uncommon Objects"

Born in 1955, Chris Hedrick earned a BFA in Commercial Art from WTSU in 1979. The artist lives in Houston Heights and has worked as a graphic designer for the past 22 years.

Hedrick continues to produce personal work-painting and sculpture, working mainly in the realistic style. Hedrick's work has appeared in several gallery shows, most recently Surf Art, a show at the acrylic on canvas; 24" x 36" Museum of South Texas and publications ranging from Texas Monthly to VW & S Porsche Magazine.

For more information contact owner Dan Mitchell Allison at 281-615-4148/ dan@texascollaborative.commailto:dan@texascollaborative.com
Info Phone: (832) 618-1845 Regular Gallery Hours: Sat and Sun from noon to 5 and by apointment.

Texas Collborative Arts Artshound Red Feather Gallery

30-Mar-08 4:00 AM

Listen Now to Only in Houston's First Podcast, Courtesy of Natalie J., producer and host, Night Train, KPFT 90.1 FM

Natalie J. - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 15:00:00 GMT

Thanks to Natalie J, producer and host of the Night Train on Houston's KPFT 90.1 FM's "Open Journal", Only in Houston (OiH) is pleased to offer its first official podcast!

Click to listen below as Natalie J. interviews Lou Congelio of Stan and Lou Advertising about his vision for Only in Houston, as well as what attendees at the OiH unveiling on July 20, 2005, had to say about why they are involved.

New to Podcasting?

Podcasts are audio files that are automatically delivered to your desktop and can be transferred to your iPod or other portable audio MP3 player.

Podcasting is a form of Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, and is an easy way to get the news you are interested in whenever it is updated - and you don't have to be on the Only in Houston Web site for that to happen!

By subscribing to an RSS feed, the news you want is delivered directly to your desktop via a news reader. Popular readers include Bloglines and Mozilla's Sage reader.

If you have iTunes, select the "advanced" menu and then "subscribe to podcast." The paste in this URL for OiH's podcast stream.
http://www.onlyinhouston.org/en/rss/

Alternatively podcasting software from iPodder is also available for a free download at http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php.

RSS feeds available on the Web site are available at http://www.onlyinhouston.org/en/rss/index/ and include feeds for OiH press releases, news articles, calendar events and job listings.

19-Oct-05 10:00 AM

PHOTOS from Lou Congelio's 50th Birthday Party - Houston Advertising Party Pics

Ed Schipul - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 17:00:00 GMT

Lou-A-Palooza 2005
Lou Congelio's 50th Birthday Party

The Stars of Lou-A-Palooza 2005
"HE'S WILD. HE'S CRAZY. HE'S 50. AND, HE DOESN'T KNOW WE'RE THROWING HIM A PARTY!" - Lou-A-Palooza invitation, Thursday September 9th, 2005

Matt and Heather Loftiss of Water Design	Marla Weinstein, Laurie Selzer, Mike Weinstein	Karen and Larry Flajnik	Jim Conlan, Lou, Heather and Matt Loftiss

Eloy, Benita, Christine, Brittani	Traci (KRBE), Ross Welles, Nicole, Leslie (KRBE)	Laura, Beverly, Scott	Josh, Derek Mercer

Nick, Brandon East	Brandon East, Ed	Shun, Erin Williams	Chris & Debbie Strouse

Rie Congelio, Bill Penczak	Dennis, Kathy Dalton, Beverly Olson, Ross, Fred Olson	If I can't read the nametags you get no name. Sorry.	Jim, Bill, Lou, Karen & Dwight Cook

I won't name names here either.	Kelly, Brandy , Michel	Benita, Eloy	Scott Forbes, Brittani Pena

Bill Penczak, David Jackson	Lou wonders if, at his age, he should really be eating any of that	He has now turned away from the food and is considering drink	Eloy - none of us know what that means. Really.

Benita	Kelly	Rie, Jaen, Elena, Connie & David	So much for hiding behind the camera

I bet this was shaved with one of those new 5 blade Gillette Razors! Did Lou get that account?	Great photo! Completely too cute.	True colors.	Two great ad men!

"It's OK Lou, I don't have much hair either." - Bill	Benita, Josh, Lou, Bill, Debbie, Michel	(same) + Matt, Heather and 0.5 human	Karaoke 1

Karaoke 2	Kelly, Debbie	"So this duck walks into a bar " and other jokes told by Matt	It is so hard to organize ad people.

Lou - Happy Birthday - you are one lucky dude.
Photos by Schipul Web Marketing posted to the OiH Tendenci Association Web Site If you need a higher res just email me. Thanks - Ed

1-Oct-05 12:00 PM

Houston Photographer Jim Olive Shoots Rita Exodus for Time and AOL

Jim Olive - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 01:00:00 GMT

The chopper picked me up at Ellington and then we headed out to the Woodlands where HPD told me the backup started. Fortunately I rec'd the request from Polaris Images in time to make it happen, what with the traffic and all I only had a couple hours to hire the chopper, arrange for it to pick me up, get there, shoot, get back and transmit. Made the deadline......Only in Houston.

The shot ran as a double truck lead in the current issue of Time magazine and Newsweek along with a 2 page in US News & World Report.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1109318,00.html

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/aolnews_photos/03/05/20050923164109990001

28-Sep-05 8:00 PM

BREAKFAST WITH AD AGE'S, RANCE CRAIN!!!

Christine Stevens - noemail@onlyinhouston.org — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 21:00:00 GMT

Bloody battles, mayhem and the reemergence of the strong independent agencies and markets like Houston.

FEATURED SPEAKER: RANCE CRAIN,
PUBLISHER/CHIEF EDITOR OF AD AGE

Mark your calendars! Rance Crain, publisher/chief editor of Advertising Age as well as other publications, will be the breakfast speaker at an Advertising Education Foundation of Houston
fundraiser.

Registration fees are: $250.00 for four people or $75.00 for individuals. Make your
reservations now by calling the Houston Advertising Federation at 713 237 9999.

The sponsor is the ADVERTISING EDUCATION FOUNDATION OF HOUSTON, which is a 5013c that awards scholarships to undergrads and grads who want to make careers in our business, in HOUSTON.

26-Sep-05 4:00 PM