State of Opportunity:
Interview With Connecticut Governor
John G. Rowland

by Daniel M. Kimmel

The first question to second-term Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland was a classic softball: What's your current favorite movie? It turned out to be a stumper.

His first answer was a zany comedy that had come out two summers ago. Of course, it was released on video more recently, and with the Rowlands the proud parents of five kids, that might be a clue.

"They know me on a first name basis at Blockbuster," said the governor, who explained that his movie watching these days makes him less a member of the audience and more someone who gets "into the adult supervision mode."

When it comes to getting cinematic productions to come to Connecticut, however, Rowland professes to be right on the case. Indeed, attracting new types of business to the state has been part of his ongoing strategy.

"In the late '80s and '90s, everything plummeted," he said, recalling the high unemployment in the state. "We really were in the dumps in those years ... Our economic strategy was paying industries not to leave. That's all we could do."

Now Connecticut actively seeks out companies to bring their business to the state, from Internet start-ups to biomedical concerns. Various television enterprises, including MARTHA STEWART LIVING and ESPN, are located there, and the hope is that such business will lead to more operations settling there. Rowland contends that the government can offer tax breaks to make the state more attractive to media-related companies.

"I think we need some incentive on sales tax and property tax exemptions," he said. The state offers film and TV production units some very big tax exemptions, including a 100% exemption on property taxes for equipment, a 100% exemption for software purchases, and a 100% exemption on sales tax for purchases of equipment, materials, and leasing. These exemptions apply across the board to filming for entertainment, advertising, and educational purposes.

Guy Ortoleva, managing director of the Connecticut Film, Video & Media Office, noted that one of his jobs is to cut through the red tape. When a company purchasing film stock was charged tax, he got a letter from the appropriate state office to the seller inside of 24 hours pointing out that the purchase was entirely tax free.

"We changed a lot of our tax code to recognize their growth," said Rowland of the film and TV industry.

The state has also declared certain areas as "enterprise zones," mostly in cities where companies locating there get additional tax breaks, like a ten-year exemption on all local property taxes. The state usually reimburses the city for the lost revenue.

Were all these breaks hard to sell to the legislature and the citizens of Connecticut? "I don't think so," said Rowland, "I think the hard part for us is we were coming out of the doldrums of the recession." Those efforts are continuing even during the current good times. A tax break was just granted to ESPN to keep them in the state and support their expansion in Bristol, Connecticut.

Industry people who have their own ideas of what the state ought to be doing can access the Connecticut Film Commission, a public/private partnership whose goal it is to facilitate the process. The Film, Video & Media Office handles the day-to-day matters, while the Commission is able to examine long term goals. Doug McAward, of McAward Productions in Brookfield, is the current chair.

Much of the immediate interest in Connecticut, given their proximity to New York, is in attracting advertising shoots as well as other films looking for interesting locations at a reasonable cost. As with Massachusetts, Connecticut is a small state with a lot of diverse locations, ranging from seashore to woodlands. "The good thing is that we're a small state. You can get to any location you want in a short period," Rowland noted.

Connecticut was often thought of for locations of abandoned mill properties, but now the state is taking a more pro-active stance marketing its diverse settings. However, unlike Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci, Rowland does not see himself taking off to the West Coast to drum up interest in the state.

He laughed at the very idea of hobnobbing with movie stars or TV producers. "If I made a trip to Hollywood, the press would have my lunch," said Rowland.

Productions have made their way to Connecticut anyway. Among the movies that have shot in part there are AMISTAD, THE ICE STORM, OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY, and SLEEPERS. The hit NBC TV show JUDGING AMY, now in its second season, is set in Hartford, and there is hope that they will make their first trip to Connecticut this fall. Unfortunately for the state, only second-unit background shots will be done this time. If it is a pleasant experience for all concerned, however, Connecticut will try to lure them back in the future, especially if the show settles in for a long run.

"I think our folks have been working it very hard," explained the governor. With shows like PROVIDENCE and the classic hit CHEERS (still in reruns) generating attention for their New England locales, supporting JUDGING AMY can only benefit Connecticut. Rowland said it is an "immeasurable benefit to having your state promoted" on a weekly series.

One of the reasons New England has sometimes been a hard sell for such location work is because of problems with local unions. However, Rowland professes no problems with the unions in Connecticut, since frequently they are dealing with the New York-based locals. Rowland characterized the relations as "very civil," adding, "Our unions are very easy to work with – and this is from a Republican ... From a partisan standpoint I'm not a natural ally with unions, but I can get union leaders here in five minutes on any project."

Part of the reason, of course, is that Rowland has emphasized job creation as a major goal for his administration. Another is less obvious: with the high standard of living in the state, workers demand (and get) the prevailing wage, union or non-union.

Connecticut is supporting production indirectly as well, from spending on a new hotel/convention center to a $2.5 million expenditure to support the Mark Twain house in Hartford. The latter isn't as disconnected with film and TV as you might think. Documentarian Ken Burns is currently undertaking a massive project on the life and times of Twain, and his having raised his family in Connecticut will be as important as his life on the Mississippi. Rowland proudly points out that six years ago Connecticut ranked 44th in support of the arts. Today his state ranks first.

As the interview ended, Governor Rowland was troubled that he hadn't adequately answered the question about his favorite current film. One of his sons had caught a preview of the new Denzel Washington film, REMEMBER THE TITANS, but the governor hadn't gone and it wasn't open yet.

"Hey Chrissy," he called out to an aide, "What's my favorite movie this year?"

A few titles were batted around, and finally he decided that he had seen THE PERFECT STORM and thought it a pretty good movie. His openness and kidding around made it clear that he didn't care if he was revealed as a less a film buff than Paul Cellucci, his friend and colleague in Boston.

He may not see it until it comes out on video, but if you're making a film, he wants you to know that they're waiting to help you out in Connecticut.