Lompoc City Council Agenda Item

City Council Meeting Date: August 19, 2008

TO: Gary P. Keefe, City Administrator

FROM: Kathleen A. Griffith, Economic Development Manager [email protected]

SUBJECT: Continued City Sponsorship of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2009 at the Community Partner level ($6,000).

RECOMMENDATION:

That the City Council:

A) Review and consider the attached report on the City’s history of sponsoring the Santa Barbara International Festival;

B) Authorize the City Administrator to execute the attached contract with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to participate as a Community Partner at the 2009 Festival in an amount not to exceed $6,000, funded from economic development marketing account #52500-59150, which is budget within the Electric Enterprise Fund.

BACKGROUND:

Santa Barbara International Film Festival will host the 24th Annual Festival January 22- February 1, 2009. Given its knack for predicting Academy Award winners, a proximal distance to Los Angeles and timing close to the celebrity event, Santa Barbara County’s destination desirability and the Festival’s attraction of stellar luminaries and exceptional programming, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival has established itself as the preeminent Oscar film festival with high visibility around the globe.

The City of Lompoc participated in the 2005-2008 Festivals with economic development marketing resources. The City received visibility and networking opportunities in the film industry that otherwise would not have been available. Lompoc youth were also exposed to a career field that they might never have known about through the “Field Trip to the Movies” program. The City seeks to continue building relationships in the industry and positioning Lompoc with a high profile, as well as establishing outreach with Lompoc’s potential industry workforce and underprivileged youth.

In the City’s 2006 Festival contract, several educational programs were made available to Lompoc students for the first time, e.g. Field Trip to the Movies, 10-10-10 Student

Filmmaking Competition and 10-10-10 Student Screenwriting Competition. The Field Trip to the Movies program, which seeks to inspire and excite the curiosity of children about their natural world, while at the same time encouraging them to imagine themselves in the roles as filmmakers and naturalists, has been especially successful with Lompoc students from low-moderate income families. In 2008, 235 students from El Camino Middle School and La Canada Elementary attended the Field Trip program, an increase from the 177 students from La Honda Elementary and Miguelito Elementary who had participated in a previous year. Educators have requested that we continue the program as a valuable contribution to students’ educational experience.

The City seeks to continue including underprivileged elementary school children in the field trip program so they might learn about a new career field. The City also seeks to motivate Lompoc’s potential industry workforce to participate in the filmmaking and screenwriting competitions, including students at Allan Hancock College Film & Video Production Program and the local high schools, including Lompoc, Cabrillo, and Maple.

In 2004, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival introduced the Reel Nature sidebar in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The films in this series attract crowds to the raw beauty of nature, as well as educate and create awareness of the natural world around us. During the 2007 Festival, the City sponsored the Reel Nature sidebar and had the opportunity to interview former Vice President Al Gore for Discover Lompoc TV program. The City seeks to continue with this program at the 2009 Festival because Reel Nature will feature a “Green” theme that will be complemented by distribution of the Lompoc Valley Magazine Summer 2008 issue.

During the 2006 Festival, the City participated in the Spanish and Latin American film section, Latino CineMedia. In collaboration with the Festival and the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Committee, the City hosted a Lompoc screening of Spanish language film La Tragedia de Macario. The City seeks to continue outreach with the Latino population with screenings at future Festivals.

The City, in partnership with the Santa Barbara Conference Bureau & Visitors Center and Film Commission and Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce, actively promotes the area for film locations. To enhance further visibility, the City has participated in the annual California On Locations Awards event. Festival sponsorship provides another opportunity for visibility with Film Location Managers and others in the industry.

Entertainment Technology, Multimedia, and Internet are “Targeted Industries” in the State of California. The City also seeks to capitalize on these industries and attract them to the community. The Festival is a showcase for technology and participation will further enhance the City’s visibility as a leader in broadband technology.

The City seeks to promote industry clusters in the community as an economic sector dedicated to communications, entertainment, publishing, and multi-media sectors. Lompoc is posed to develop as a media and communications center because of the proximity to Los Angeles and the existing pool of entertainment and communications

professionals in the area. Economic development efforts in support of these sectors will help to attract production talent, digital production companies, pre- and post- production operations, new media, and traditional media companies.

Additionally, the City seeks to renovate the historic Lompoc Theater and attract films to the venue. The City has already established momentum with a precedent of Lompoc screening of Festival films, such as La Tragedia de Marcario and From Ground to Glass. Festival sponsorship will continue to enhance the opportunities for the Theater to attract film festival quality movies and an audience in the future.

DISCUSSION:

The City’s direct benefits for participation in the Festival will include Visual Display and Promotion, Passes/Festival Access, and Sponsorship of the Reel Nature sidebar, which will have a “Green” theme that will be complemented by distribution of Lompoc Valley Magazine Summer 2008 issue. Sponsorship will provide Lompoc name, logo, and promotional material visibility at all of the high profile eleven-day events. Specifics are outlined in the Festival/City of Lompoc contract (Attachment 1).

Capitalizing on the momentum from the ongoing success of Sideways, which was filmed locally and includes many shots of Lompoc and the surrounding area, the City seeks to become a favorite location for all levels of film production. More recently feature films by Quentin Tarantino, Grindhouse, and Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood, have been filmed on Jalama Road and utilized City resources. Film and commercial productions contribute to the economic vitality of the community.

LompocNet has put Lompoc on the map as a technology leader known for high-speed connectivity. As the broadband project advances, editing is another facet of production that the City seeks to develop. In collaboration with the Lompoc Media Center, with its new independently operated master control server, the City’s entrepreneurial class will benefit from the advent of local editing activities.

The City’s hospitality industry already benefits from film production activities and participation in the 2009 Festival will bring further name recognition as a production- friendly location. The City seeks to continue building relationships in the industry and position the City with a high profile, and establish outreach with Lompoc’s potential industry workforce and underprivileged youth by participating in the 2009 Festival at the Community Partner sponsorship level.

Kathleen A. Griffith Economic Development Manager

Attachments: 1. SBIFF/City of Lompoc Contract

APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL TO THE CITY COUNCIL:

______Gary P. Keefe City Administrator