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The Illinois Film Office is part of the Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the governor's lead economic
development agency.
"It's my pleasure to welcome Betsy Steinberg to the Illinois Film
Office," Blagojevich said. "Her extensive industry expertise, both
on the creative and business side, will be valuable as we build on
the momentum we've generated over the last three years and continue
growing the film industry in Illinois. With our tremendous cities,
locations, actors and crews, Illinois has everything Hollywood
productions are looking for, and, with our recently expanded tax
credit, Illinois is as competitive as ever. And my thanks to Brenda
Sexton for her years of service and dedication in developing this
important industry in Illinois."
Ms. Steinberg has 18 years of experience in television and film
production. She has produced, written, supervised and directed
various documentaries and documentary series and produced numerous
commercials. Most recently, Steinberg served as the vice president
of development for Towers Productions, a leading and award-winning
documentary and entertainment production company based in Chicago.
In this capacity, she wrote and pitched new series and show ideas to
leading networks, including A&E, the History Channel, PBS, National
Geographic, Court TV and MSNBC, as well as establishing
international co-production relationships. Steinberg will begin on
Jan. 29.
In 2003, Blagojevich signed landmark legislation establishing a
competitive film and television production tax credit, which he
enhanced last summer by signing
Senate Bill 2030. The new law offers
a 20 percent credit on total Illinois production spending, which
includes all salary and expense costs associated with production
activities taking place within the state. This can include salaries,
spending with local vendors and lodging. To qualify, minimum
Illinois film and television production spending would have to be
greater than $100,000, and minimum Illinois commercial production
spending would have to be greater than $50,000. The law also
encourages the hiring of Illinois residents from economically
disadvantaged areas.
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 "I am thrilled to be joining the Illinois Film Office and look
forward to boosting the impact and magnitude of the film and
entertainment industry across the state," Steinberg said. "I believe
my production and development background in the television and film
business will be a strong asset, and I am grateful to Governor
Blagojevich for this opportunity."
Over the last several years, a cross section of Hollywood studios
have delivered the production and filming of tomorrow's big screen
hits to the state, including "The Lake House," from Warner Bros.;
"Stranger Than Fiction," Mandate Pictures; "The Break-Up," Universal
Pictures; "Batman Begins," Warner Bros.; "The Ice Harvest," Focus
Features; "Roll Bounce," 20th Century Fox; and "Ocean's Twelve,"
Warner Bros. The last several years have also brought more than a
dozen television series to the state, including the critically
acclaimed "Prison Break" from Fox Television, the state's first
dramatic television series in six years.
"Governor Blagojevich and I have been committed to increasing the
number of film and television productions across the state, which
helps spur economic development and job creation," said Jack Lavin,
director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
"Under the new leadership of Betsy Steinberg at the Illinois Film
Office, we look forward to seeing even more action and putting even
more people to work both in front of the camera and behind the
scenes."
[News release from the governor's office]
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