PaFIA Pittsburgh Event: Another Great Turnout!

Friday, March 03, 2017 10:52 AM | Anonymous

PaFIA East recently had a fantastic event at Revel & Roost Pittsburgh. The turnout was encouraging and we saw just as many new faces as we did established members. A huge thank you to Revel & Roost, all the organizers and volunteers for this successful event!

Why should I join PaFIA, a frequently asked question, What do I get?

"PaFIA's mission is to promote the film, television and commercial industry in Pennsylvania and to serve as a strong collective voice to address common issues in business circles and government offices. The association also strives to provide business, educational and networking opportunities for its members."

The biggest priority of PaFIA is to support production and business in Pennsylvania by ensuring that Pennsylvania government is aware of the crew members and vendors eager to work. PaFIA does this by supporting a lobbyist to be our voice in Harrisburg. In essence, by joining PaFIA, members are speaking up to support and keep the film tax credit in our state budget.

Productions come to Pennsylvania for the current film tax credits, diverse locations, accommodating vendors and professional crews.

In addition to the business aspect of what PaFIA does at the state level, this organization offers networking at the local level. Crew members, vendors, interns, film students, actors, teachers, casting professionals all gather at these events to share experiences and possibly collaborate.

A recent example is Jennifer Heastings, a CEO of a local non-profit organization called Arts Out Loud. They support and mentor young people looking to pursue careers in the film, television and music industry. She was new to PaFIA, showed up to the Pittsburgh event through a social media invite and came in knowing nothing about the organization. Arts Out Loud is looking to film a documentary on their events to showcase what they do and raise support. When I spoke with her after the event, she reiterated to me how she gained new contacts for her organization including a possible new mentor.

Having recently relocated to Pittsburgh she found this event to be a warm introduction to crew members and like minded professionals.  In her words she was pleasantly surprised at how open the people were and how willing they were to offer support and introductions. This was something she had not found previously in other states.

The information and contacts Ms. Heastings gained through attending this event will further assist her efforts in promoting Arts Out Loud and PaFIA gains another valuable member.

Think about what each of us bring to the table; unique skill sets, experiences and talent. Putting all these things together into one resource and group can only benefit
production in Pennsylvania. PaFIA membership is important at the state level as well as the local level. It affects every individual involved in creating film, television and media productions. The jobs in each department are invaluable, from the vendors supplying goods to the artists creating a vision on screen.

Support PaFIA by becoming a member and getting involved!
 
For more information on Arts Out Loud you can visit www.artsoutloud.org.

Pennsylvania Film Industry Association (PAFIA)
461 Cochran Road, Box 246
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
(717) 833-4561  info@pafia.org

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