Filmmaker Panel: WI Film Tax Incentives

The WI Film Tax Incentives always comes up when filmmakers get together. We once had them, but then we lost them. What happened? 

Moderator, Michael Viers (The Shame List Picture Show) talks with Melissa Musante, Jeff Olm and Jon Kline about the history of the WI Film Tax Incentives, and what can be done to bring them back, or can they be brought back? This will be up for free before and during festival weekend below the bios, and on our youtube channel. 

Michael Viers is an independent filmmaker, podcaster, and editor from Milwaukee, WI. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee's prestigious film program with a BFA. While attending UWM Michael directed the award winning short film From the Darkness Theatre which won awards at various festivals and played at the Short Film Corner at Cannes. Since then he's made music videos and directed two other films, Love You Still for Milwaukee Film and Do You Love Me which was written by Milwaukee musician Valerie Lightheart when she was still in High School. Michael is also a Producer and Co-Host of the film podcast the Shame List Picture Show. Michael likes to brag that he used to edit videos for Troma Entertainment and is texting buddies with Lloyd Kaufman, but no one really cares.

Melissa Musante was the Associate Director of Film Wisconsin and deeply involved with the first round of incentives and was there when they passed and subsequently fell.

Prior to that I was an independent filmmaker and a member of Milwaukee Independent Film Society, after Film Wisconsin I on went on to run MARN (the Milwaukee Artists Resource Network) and after that experience left the creative sector to make money selling houses (She still make art and will eventually make films again but I'm she's taking some time to focus on my family).

Jeff Olm has been on the cutting edge of multimedia, VR/AR, television, theatrical and electronic presentation technology creating Academy award nominated and award winning movies like Titanic, the Fifth Element, Minority Report, Armageddon, Mighty Joe Young, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Avengers, Terminator, and The Revenant.

Jeff has been working and involved doing research in User Interphases for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality as well as researching retail Virtual and Augmented reality retail and shopping experiences.

Working in Cinematic Virtual Reality experiences the past 3 years Jeff directed Warbird Veterans, and Fireworks in Virtual Reality, And was part of the creative, production and post production teams for Disney, Paul McCartney, The National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball. He has been in supervisory roles for Dreamworks, Disney, Sony Imageworks, Warner Bros. Universal and New Line.

Jon Kline is an American cinematographer with more than 15 years of experience shooting narrative films, commercials, branded content, music videos, and commercial still photography. He was director of photography on the feature films “Twisted Little Lies” for Lifetime TV, “Trail Blazers” and “A Christmas Sunset” on Amazon Prime. His commercial clients include Nike, Rolling Stone, the NFL, American Express, Target, Kellogg’s, and AT&T.