Maryland launches new grants program
The Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts (TFA) – through the Maryland Film Office – will award matching grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to new and emerging film festivals in the state.
Impetus for the program, said Hannah Byron, assistant secretary for TFA, came partially from a recent National Governor's Association report, "Promoting Film and Media to Enhance State Economic Development." The report viewed film festivals as a significant factor for increasing tourism while elevating civic pride and participation – all elements that enhance a community's quality of life and generate economic activity.
"These small community investments will provide seed funding to leverage private-sector support," said Jack Gerbes, director of the film office. "The awards capitalize on one of the most popular and accessible art forms – movies – to cultivate events that attract artists and visitors and promote Maryland's storied movie-making history.
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Imagine Maryland posting invites public comment
The State Arts Council has posted a draft of its five-year strategic plan – Imagine Maryland – on its web site and invites public comment through Jan. 15. A final plan will be unveiled in March.
Gov. Martin O'Malley launched Imagine Maryland in April. The Arts Council assembled the draft using information gathered from statewide meetings and forums, online and telephone surveys, and interviews with community leaders. Detailed notes and summaries from all meetings are also posted on the Council's site.
The Arts Council will use Imagine Maryland to guide resources in supporting and promoting Maryland's arts sector.
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Tourism report details marketing impact
The latest edition of the Maryland Tourism Monitor – the Tourism Office's monthly report that measures visitor activity, advertising response and state travel trends – is now available online. This issue spotlights October 2008 activity.
"Our web marketing has increased and so has its effectiveness," said Margot Amelia, executive director of the Tourism Office. "As more consumers are driven to our web site through advertising, we offer an immediate response to their requests for Maryland vacation information. More than 72,000 prospective visitors clicked on our web ads in October."
Demand for hotel rooms, Amtrak ridership and BWI-passenger arrivals continued to trend down this October compared to last year, a reflection of nationwide softening in the travel industry.
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Amelia addresses Washington County CVB
Margot Amelia, executive director of the Maryland Tourism Office, was the featured speaker at the annual meeting of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dec. 2, at the new Academy Theatre Banquet and Conference Center in Hagerstown.
She congratulated the group for winning a marketing award at last month's Governor’s Tourism Industry Conference and discussed the joint marketing that the state does with Washington County.
Tourism in Washington County is a $250 million industry that employs 6,000 Marylanders, said Tom Riford, president and CEO of the Western Maryland destination-marketing organization. He also cited a recent state report that shows an increase of nearly 23 percent from fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2008 for Washington County in the generation of sales-tax revenues for tourism-related business – the largest upsurge in the state. The statewide figure is 13 percent, he added.
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Maryland bids for Army-Navy game, NCAA lacrosse Sports Marketing Director Terry Hasseltine – along with officials from the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins – attended the Army-Navy Game pre-site selection meeting in Philadelphia, Dec. 5-6, the weekend of this year's classic match-up.
The Ravens and the Redskins (who play in Prince George's County) represent Maryland's two bids to host the annual game between 2010 and 2014. Maryland Stadium Authority chairman John Morton, U.S. Naval Academy class of 1967, joined the Maryland contingent at a social event Friday evening and a behind-the-scenes inspection of facilities at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field Saturday morning, the day of the game.
Hasseltine also participated in a bid presentation with the Ravens, Dec. 11 in Baltimore, to host the NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championships between 2010 and 2012. A decision by the NCAA is expected in early February.
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August fam tour leads to Disney travel story
Camila Clark, public relations and promotions manager at the Maryland Tourism Office, coordinated an itinerary for travel writer Stephanie Hinkaty in August that has resulted in a comprehensive travel article posted last week on Disney's family-travel web site.
Hinkaty visited a variety of attractions in downtown Baltimore and Ellicott City as she made her way south toward Virginia, stopping in Solomons Island along the way. She went as far as Virginia Beach and then returned to Maryland and the Eastern Shore.
Among the Maryland travel professionals who helped arrange Hinkaty's tour were: Monee Cottman, Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association; Rachelina Bonacci, Howard County Tourism; Regina Ford, Turf Valley Resort; Monica Pence, Baltimore Orioles; Debbi Dodson, Talbot County Tourism; and Kelly Robertson-Slagle, Calvert County Department of Economic Development.
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TADD bolsters Eastern Shore communities
Bill Pencek, Maryland's director of Cultural and Heritage Tourism, was one of nearly 20 participants at a Tourism, Arts and Downtown Development (TADD) meeting, Dec. 4 in Denton. TADD represents a network of arts, business and heritage interests on the Eastern Shore that was established to strengthen the region's historic communities. The group is now planning a guide for Eastern Shore eateries and arts resources.
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MSAC investment pays off for 'Mountain Maryland' artists
The tenth annual Mountain Maryland Artists Studio Tour – held the first two Saturdays and Sundays in November and coordinated by the Allegany Arts Council – provided 35 participating artists with $26,200 in sales, according to Andy Vick, executive director of the council.
A $2,000 Community Arts Development/NEA Challenge America Grant, supplied by the Maryland State Arts Council, helped to fund the creation and printing of tour guidebooks. These books provided visitors on the tour with information about the artists and directions to the studios.
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Gerbes guides Maryland Film Office through evolving mission
For more than 16 years, Jack Gerbes has worked in the Maryland Film Office to entice film productions to the state. He started in the office as a location scout, became deputy director in the mid-nineties, and was named director in 2001.
Filming in Maryland is still a focal point of the office. During the past decade, the film industry pumped $800 million into the state economy, Gerbes says. Still, other pursuits have emerged. “We’re evolving,” Gerbes says, “we’re bringing more people into the tent.”
For instance, the film office – a part of Maryland’s Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts (TFA) – is leading an effort to blend traditional filmmaking with new media and digital technology into a well-connected statewide industry.
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