Mariella Perez takes incentive program to Hollywood

When Film District's "The Rum Diary," starring The Actor-brad Pitt, opened in La on March. 14, Mariella Perez, the film commissioner of Puerto Rico was one of the visitors. And no surprise. The film shot positioned on the area.But Perez also had all business within the film capital. She spent the majority of the week ending up in executives from The new sony, Disney, Fox, Relativity yet others galleries to provide Puerto Rico's new film incentives program, that has been around the books since March. The area has lengthy attracted Hollywood, getting located projects varying from Disney's "Pirates from the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," Universal's "Fast 5," Warner Bros' "The Nonwinners," ABC's "From the Map" (that Puerto Rico bending for Hawaii), USA Network's "Royal Pains," and HBO's "Eastbound and Lower." While making the studio models, Perez's intent ended up being to persuade decision-makers to increase their production around the Island much more. Throughout her whirlwind tour she spoke to Variety:Variety: How frequently would you visit L.A.?Perez: We come here more often than once annually, but this time around particularly we are marketing our new incentives program. What the law states which was in position going back ten years was refurbished on March 4, 2011, stretching not just the amount of qualified projects but getting rid of the 50% principal photography requirement, (reducing) million-dollar spend needs to $100,000, and including an above-the-line credit. Variety: How large a noticable difference may be the new law?Perez: It's more aggressive. The prior law incorporated merely a 40% incentive on obligations to citizens. This bill not just adds an infrastructure incentive, but additionally adds the above mentioned-the-line credit that people did not have before - a 20% credit on nonresident talent, including stars, stunts, extra supplies - everything that's on-screen.Variety: How lengthy will what the law states maintain place?Perez: Once we described towards the galleries, until 2019. Variety: Typically, that do you talk with in the galleries?Perez: Finance professionals - people in the budgeting and estimate departments. They would like to understand how to increase the credit and just how it'll affect their budgets. It's pretty informal. They request us questions like the number of deck hands will we have, what is the turnaround time on credits, how's it not the same as Louisiana, Hawaii along with other states. We did lots of homework to update our program making it more competitive.Variety: As to the extent does Puerto Rico also contend with other nations?Perez: A great deal. Another component that has led to Puerto Rico being more the main attraction is the fact that due to safety concerns for that cast and crew you are able to no more go shoot in Rio or Mexico City or Colombia how you could a couple of years back, therefore we double for Mexico and a lot of Latin American nations.Variety: When it comes to crew base, the number of large features can Puerto Rico accommodate concurrently?Perez: Two.Variety: How about soundstages?Perez: Regrettably we do not have soundstages yet. We now have groups thinking about building stages. But we all do have several government-possessed warehouse spaces you can use for filming. "The Rum Journals" did almost all their inside in 2 warehouses by which they built sets. Contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com