What is your name, and what do you do?
Hi, I’m Justin Owcar president of the WV Filmmakers Guild.
How did you become the president of the WV Filmmakers Guild?
My friend Tom Heckman, the current Secretary, and I went to our first WVFG meeting in 2012 in Charleston, and the vice president position was vacant. Tom raised his hand and was elected to the position. In 2014, I became treasurer to help him navigate the waters as board members began to step down. We volunteer our time and energy so everything we do at the guild is from the heart. Around 2017, I became President and have a great group of friends that work together to keep the organization growing. It was created in 1982 by filmmakers that wanted to get together, watch their work, and collaborate on future projects. We respect their mission and want to continue passing the torch.
What does the WV Filmmakers Guild do?
Our primary goal is to build a local workforce here in West Virginia by connecting filmmakers in the state and providing crew calls when productions are looking for positions to fill. The film industry relies on all types of skill sets for productions to work smoothly. For example, it’s not just directors or camera operators that make a film, you also need production assistants, drivers, electricians, and carpenters. Depending on the size and budget of the project, there’s a lot of potential for people doing many different jobs in the filmmaking industry. It’s not reserved exclusively for creatives.
Opportunities are becoming more available because the West Virginia tax credit rivals Georgia. West Virginia no longer has a ceiling meaning there isn’t a cap on what the state can accommodate. Our tax credit changed a few years ago. When it began in 2011, the credit allowed up to fifteen million dollars until it was eventually downsized to five million dollars. Productions had to fight for the incentives. Now, the new WV Film Office has enacted different parameters under the Economic Development Department of the state, so the sky’s the limit. West Virginia now can host hundred million dollar productions or TV series with enticing incentives of up to 31% in tax credits. To qualify, productions must hire a certain number of locals, and that’s it. In turn, the money they spend on hotels, food, and gas alone fuels local economies. Businesses, small and large, are rewarded.
We work alongside the WV Film Office by creating workshops taught by seasoned industry professionals to inform and educate those interested. Certain positions are requested more than others. Last year, we hosted a two day location manager and scout workshop with a seasoned professional, Curtis Wilmot, from Los Angeles, that helped a few people enter the locations department and have been working non-stop since. It’s rewarding to see locals in our state succeed from our events.
The West Virginia Filmmakers Guild wants to offer opportunities that employ state locals so productions don’t have to bring in people from out of state. For the state tax incentive to continue, we need to build a workforce and connect local filmmakers in West Virginia to continue to grow our base, ultimately making West Virginia a viable choice for productions.
Imagine West Virginia as one big mountain in the middle with all of the cities set around it. We have Morgantown and Wheeling to the north, Charleston and Huntington to the south, Martinsburg to the east, Parkersburg to the west, and don’t forget Lewisburg and Beckley. We are spread all over, and it’s important for us to stay connected. That is our challenge. We look forward to holding social events throughout different cities as well as creating new avenues to connect online. You can visit us via wvfg.org for more information.
What’s your advice to someone who wants to break into the film industry?
It depends on what you want to do. Everybody has their own passions.
If you’re a novice, you’re not going to get a job as a director unless you make it yourself. You end up wearing a lot of hats doing it yourself which can be rewarding. Realistically, what you need to do is connect with people in the industry and ask questions. It is a community, and people are willing to share their thoughts and experiences. Starting as a production assistant and learning how it all works can give you great insight.
You might consider being a driver, which offers insight as well. You meet everybody during the production. Our state certainly needs more drivers. Locals have an advantage because they know the geography and streets. Productions often reach out to us to request drivers. If you hold a CDL certification, you would be an asset. Currently, I am the transportation coordinator for Allegheny Image Factory, and I appreciate drivers that are on time and disciplined. If the actor is late to report, they can’t get to hair and makeup, which in turn holds up their call to set. Every part of the production is timed and every position, no matter how large or small, is important to the ecosystem.
Are jobs in filmmaking, especially trades jobs on set, open to women?
Yes, the film industry is an equal opportunity workplace that offers opportunities for women. We have women on our productions working as grips carrying big lights and gear, setting up sets… The stigma isn’t there and as long as one remains professional and does their job, that’s really all that matters.
People have the impression it’s impossible to find film industry jobs outside of major metropolitan areas like L.A. or New York. Is that true, or has that changed in recent years?
Now that the world is connected online, people can live anywhere they want and still work in the filmmaking industry. More and more people are picking places like West Virginia to live and work where they can escape high rent and cost of living. The best decision I made was leaving Los Angeles after living there for ten years. Granted, it is where I honed my craft after attending Los Angeles Film School. Truly, I made more connections here in West Virginia with people who also left the bigger cities as well as local creatives. There are talented people from all over, and the reason that we create workshops here is to educate those at all levels of experience. People connect, and our workforce grows from it.
What are you working on right now?
Aside from running my art company, artbyoz.com, two productions are ramping up here in March and June. So, I’m just getting my affairs in order before the six weeks of constant motion consumes me.
The West Virginia Filmmakers Guild is run by a great group of dedicated people with the same vision of connecting, educating, and what some deem the impossible—building a film industry here in West Virginia. When we took over in 2014, we were nearly bankrupt, but now, even after the Covid epidemic, we are stronger than ever. Our passion for something bigger is what gets us through the ups and downs. Please consider joining and connecting at wvfg.org. It’s only thirty dollars per year and is considered a donation to our nonprofit. The connection is what we hold dear.
Is there anything about the film industry that would surprise people?
I would say there are more blue-collar positions than one would think. Of course, you have your above-the-line people like actors, directors, producers, etc. but there’s a lot of folks behind the scenes doing hands-on work like carpenters and electricians that build the sets.
Overall, the greatest benefit about this industry is the relationships you make. You’re around interesting, creative people all the time, and you get to know them no matter what position. People set aside their personal opinions and beliefs to rise above and concentrate on their roles to focus on one goal—to make the production a success.
Interview conducted, transcribed, and written by Marlynda Arnett, Program Innovation Leader for West Virginia Women Work.
