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NEWS & HAPPENINGS

January 24, 2012
EP Sponsored Women in Film (WIF) in Park City 2012
Entertainment Partners sponsored the Women in Film (WIF) panel entitled “Tomorrow Starts Here: Raising Female Voices Through Technology and Creativity” at the Sundance Film Festival. The panel was held at 350 Main Bistro in Park City.

January 16, 2012
EP Incentive Solutions Update Available
The latest edition of our EP Incentive Solutions Newsletter Update is now available, with updates on Alabama, Oregon, and Washington, and a correction to information about Ontario, Canada. Our newsletters collect the most recent tax incentive information and present it quick and easy — letting you make the most informed decisions about how to save money on your production. Click here to sign up for our email newsletter updates.

January 13, 2012
EP Incentive Solutions Update Available
The latest edition of our EP Incentive Solutions Newsletter Update is now available, providing a "Year in Review" look at incentives changes from 2011. Our newsletters collect the most recent tax incentive information and present it quick and easy — letting you make the most informed decisions about how to save money on your production. Click here to sign up for our email newsletter updates.

January 11, 2012
W-2 Hotline Now Active
Please call our W-2 Hotline at 800.417.0037 with any questions regarding your W-2 and review answers to Frequently Asked Questions here.

December 8, 2011
411 Publishing Webinar: "Spotlight on Post Production Incentives"
Joseph Chianese led a panel on post production incentives, bringing together post production executives, who take incentives into consideration when deciding where to complete post on their projects, and post production companies and facilitators, who follow the business and open new facilities in regions that offer incentives in the U.S. and around the world. Panelists included Andy Fraser (VP of Physical and Post Production at Morgan Creek Productions), Marcelo Gandola (SVP at Deluxe Creative Services Group), Jeff Roth (SVP of Post Production at Focus Features), and Ray Scalice (VP and General Manager at Pixel Magic). To register for and view the archived webinar, click here!

December 3, 2011
Central Casting Hosted SAG Background Contracts Seminar
Central Casting hosted a SAG Background Contracts seminar for 34 members of the Directors Guild – Producer Training Plan program. The seminar was held at Central Casting headquarters in Burbank and was led by Central Casting Vice President Franklyn Warren with guest speakers Craig Harris (DGA) and Robert Todd (CBS Labor Executive and DGA Trustee). To visit the Central Casting website, click here.

December 1, 2011
Get Production Worker Employee Health Benefits Today!
EP Production Worker Employees now have access to exclusive Personal Health Benefits! You will have access to:

• One-on-One consultation with a licensed benefit counselor
• Ability to keep your current doctor
• Easy paperless application process to save you time and headaches
• Ability to choose coverage that meets your needs and budget

Click here for more information.

November 11, 2011
EP Hosted Panel at Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Faculty Seminar
EP’s Caitlin Bogert, Franklyn Gottbetter, and Shawn Gillespie conducted a panel at the TV Academy’s Faculty Seminar for professors, chairs, deans, and instructors. The panel was entitled “Greenlight Your Career with the EP Advantage” and consisted of an interactive panel with Movie Magic Budgeting and Movie Magic Scheduling demonstrations.

November 8, 2011
Joseph Chianese and Shawn Gillespie Lectured at Chapman University
EP Incentive Solutions’ Joseph Chianese and Shawn Gillespie lectured on production incentives and production accounting at Chapman University. Topics for the lecture were residuals, the impact of production incentives and tax credits on potential investors, and budgets and locations. For upcoming EP Incentive Solutions events, click here.

November 4, 2011
EP Co-Sponsored American Film Market (AFM) Conference Series
EP is a proud co-sponsor of the AFM Conference Series, which ran from Friday, November 4, to Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Joseph Chianese led a panel on the current state of independent film financing at the AFM Finance Conference on Friday, November 4, 2011. The session was entitled "Global Infrastructure Opportunities and New Distribution Models," and participating panelists were Leon Clarance (CEO of Motion Picture Capital – a Reliance Entertainment Company), Bill Fay (Former President of Production at Legendary Pictures), Mary Ann Hughes (VP, Film & Television Production Planning at The Walt Disney Company), Bill Johnson (Co-Founder and Partner of Inferno Entertainment), Andrew Matthews (President of RKO Films), and Bahman Naraghi (COO of GK Films).

October 31, 2011
* Now Available * 2011 Incentives Guide, 2nd Edition
The 2nd Edition of The Essential Guide to U.S. & International Production Incentives, 2011, is now available. With savvy studios and producers relying on tax incentives to help decide where to shoot their next production and how to reduce overall production costs, The Guide is an invaluable resource for making informed decisions. Also, learn more about our Tax Administration and Tax Credit Placement Services.

October 28, 2011
Connecticut Film Industry Training Program Movie Magic Seminar
Vice President of East Coast Marketing and Sales Rich Guay and EP Incentive Solutions Account Specialist Scott Brant conducted a Movie Magic seminar and workshop at Quinnipiac University for students in the Film, Video and Interactive Media department. The seminar was hosted by the Connecticut Film Industry Training Program and Quinnipiac University.

October 26, 2011
EP Opens Office in Hoover, Alabama
EP Incentive Solutions’ Marco Cordova and Karen Sortor participated in a launch event hosted by AIDT, an organization that provides quality workforce development for Alabama businesses. The event launched the opening of the EP Alabama office, as well as introduced the AIDT’s Entertainment Media Production & Crew Training Program, and took place by EP’s new office space at 571 Park Avenue in Hoover. Learn more about EP’s new office in Alabama here.

October 22, 2011
Joseph Chianese Lectured at New York Film Academy
Joseph Chianese guest lectured at an Entertainment Accounting class at the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy. The topic of the lecture was “Managing State and/or Tax Incentive Spending.”

October 22, 2011
Mary Ann McBride Participated in Panel at the Philadelphia Film Festival
EP Incentive Solutions’ Mary Ann McBride spoke at the “Go Local!: Making a Film in Philadelphia” panel, part of the Philadelphia Film Festival. For upcoming EP Incentive Solutions events, click here.

October 15, 2011
Central Casting Hosted AFTRA Contracts Breakfast in New York
Central Casting hosted their annual AFTRA contracts breakfast, for the first time in New York, on October 15. The event is held for Directors Guild members, and covers the three prevailing TV AFTRA background contracts.

October 5-7, 2011
EP Wins at the ESOP California/Western States (CAWS) Chapter Conference
EP was a sponsor of this year’s annual conference of the California/Western States (CAWS) Chapter of The ESOP Association. Employee owners participated in various panels at the conference, and EP won the “Most Effective ESOP Committee” award for 2011!

September 22-23, 2011
Joseph Chianese Moderated Panel at BNA/ATLAS International Film & TV Finance Summit
EP Incentive Solutions’ Joseph Chianese moderated the “Current Developments in the Use of U.S. State Tax Incentives” panel. He also participated in the “International Film Production Incentives” panel, which discussed what is available outside the United States in the way of soft money, and new developments in Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and emerging markets. For upcoming EP Incentive Solutions events, click here.

September 14-15, 2011
Joseph Chianese Moderated Panel at Winston Baker’s Film Finance Forum East
EP Incentive Solutions’ Senior Vice President of Tax, Business Development, and Production Planning, Joseph Chianese, moderated a panel entitled “The Art of Structuring a Deal: What Producers Need to Know in Today’s Market.” Other panelists included Fred Milstein (Managing Director of Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services), David Acosta (Senior VP of the Entertainment Department at City National Bank), Dominic Ianno (CEO at Indomitable Entertainment), Rebecca Roffey (Director at Protocol International), and Andrew Hurwitz (Partner at Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz). For upcoming EP Incentive Solutions events, click here.

September 8, 2011
411 Publishing Webinar: "Spotlight on Television Production Incentives"
EP Incentive Solutions' Senior Vice President Joseph Chianese lead a panel on television production incentives, featuring producers of some of today’s most critically acclaimed series, and the film commissioners from the series’ primary shooting locations. Featured series include Deadliest Catch, Justified, The Killing, and The Walking Dead. Panelists included Dave Worrell (Director, State of Alaska Film Office/Office of Economic Development), Amy Lemisch (Director, California Film Commission), Lee Thomas (Director, Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office), and David Carter (President, Canada Film Capital Corporation). Click here to register for and view the archived webinar.

August 29, 2011
Hurricane Irene Follow Up
We are pleased to report that our New York office is operating as usual with our full Payroll team. You may contact them through the regular channels and will not see any disruption in service. A big note of appreciation goes to our dedicated New York crew who made their way in to work despite the lack of public transit. Our North Carolina office will reopen tomorrow but continues to provide service.

Our employees have weathered the storm with minimal impact and we sincerely hope the same holds true for your teams. If any special needs have arisen for you or your production due to unforeseen circumstances please advise how we may be of assistance.

August 26, 2011
Hurricane Irene Contingency Plan
As you are aware, Hurricane Irene is heading up the Northeast Corridor and various states have already declared a state of emergency. In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg has announced the MTA Transit system will be shut down at noon on Saturday, August 27, and they do not intend to restore service until Tuesday, August 30.

Our New York and North Carolina offices will be closed at a minimum for Monday, August 29, unless the path of the current hurricane changes dramatically in the next 48 hours. We want to assure you that we have established contingency plans to be sure your service will remain uninterrupted.

Please take note of the following methods of communication we ask you to follow:

New York

• Please scan and email payroll to your Paymaster and also copy fmitchell@entertainmentpartners.com
• Please fax payroll to 646.514.4728
• Our main number in New York, 646.473.9000, will be monitored as will the voicemail of each individual Paymaster.
• In the event that we lose power and/or regular phone service, a voicemail message will be set up at 818.955.4380 and updated frequently.

North Carolina:

• Please scan and email payroll to clewis@entertainmentpartners.com

We would like to thank you for your ongoing support and reaffirm that along with the safety of our employees and of your personnel, maintaining consistency for your payroll and other service needs remains a top priority.

August 24, 2011
Special Roundtable with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
EP sponsored “A Special Roundtable with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,” an event which discussed production incentives currently being offered by the city of Los Angeles. The roundtable was attended by producers, studio executives, directors, and location scouts, among others. Vice-President of Marketing Ron Cogan and EP Incentive Solutions' Director of Production Incentive Administration and Finance Shawn Gillespie attended on behalf of EP. A free webinar of the event is now available at www.variety.com/mayorroundtable.

August 21, 2011
EP Panel at Albuquerque Film Festival
EP Incentive Solutions' Director of Production Incentive Administration and Finance Shawn Gillespie and EP Senior Paymaster Victoria Rivera presented a panel entitled “Production Incentives and Production Payroll: Where to get the money for your film and how to handle it” at the Albuquerque Film Festival in New Mexico. The panel discussed production incentives in New Mexico and the U.S. as well as the key facts for dealing with production payroll systems, including fringes, benefits, and guild and union obligations. For upcoming EP Incentive Solutions events, click here.

August 20, 2011
Joseph Chianese Moderated Panel at Peachtree Village International Film Festival
EP Incentive Solutions' Senior Vice President of Tax, Business Development, and Production Planning Joseph Chianese moderated a panel entitled "Finance and Distribution" to a packed house at the Peachtree Village International Film Festival. Other panelists included Chiquita Woolfolk Banks, ESQ (Bennett BT Thrasher), Krys Cameron (SimplyME Distribution), Bernard Coleman, ESQ (Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC), Eugene Gilbert (Milestone), Tony Kiene (Director, Global X Tax), and Steve Weizenecker (Partner, Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LLP). For upcoming EP Incentive Solutions events, click here.

August 3 - 5, 2011
EP Attended UFVA
Vice President of Products Fran Lucci and Product Manager Caitlin Bogert attended the University Film & Video Association (UFVA) annual conference at Emerson College in Boston, MA. This year's theme was “The Future of Media Education,” emphasizing the effect of digital technologies on society and their benefit within academia. EP attended the picnic portion of the event -- a boat cruise on Boston Harbor -- and served guests Movie Magic Sangria. Fran and Caitlin conducted demos and were well-received by professors and other attendees.

July 26, 2011
The New Paymaster Is Now Available
The Paymaster 2011-2012 is now available in our Online Store. The Paymaster is the most complete, up-to-date contract and labor rates guide for the entertainment industry.

July 22, 2011
Ryan Broussard Spoke at Team Louisiana Event
EP Incentive Solutions' Ryan Broussard spoke at the "Team Louisiana" event hosted by the St. Bernard Parish Office of Television and Film and the Los Islenos Society. The event captured different ways in which the film commissioners of Louisiana can work as a team and help generate more production in their parishes. The event was attended by the majority of Louisiana's film commissioners, as well as Patrick Mulhearn (Celtic Media Centre) and Amanda Hafford (Assistant Director of Louisiana Film). For upcoming EP Incentive Solutions events, click here.

July 21, 2011
**  Free Movie Magic Update Available for Mac OS X Lion Users **