Harry Gottlieb is the new man in charge of the City of Miami Film Office and he has big plans to rejuvenate what once was a thriving movie production business in the Magic City.
Actually, Gottlieb’s official title is director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Miami, but the Film Office falls under that area of responsibility.
“The job really is to help promote the arts and culture in Miami,” Gottlieb said. “But primarily the job as of right now is to facilitate the film industry by providing permits so they can shoot film, photographs and video throughout Miami for movies and television programs. The permits enable them to close off streets and sidewalks when necessary and shoot in our parks and public facilities.”
Gottlieb, 60, was appointed to the post in March by Miami’s new mayor, Tomas Regalado. Gottlieb hails from Detroit, but has lived in Miami since 1961 when he came here to help relatives who had fled Cuba and Fidel Castro’s fledgling dictatorship.
“My mother’s family is Cuban and we came here back then to receive them when they arrived here from Cuba,” Gottlieb recalled.
Gottlieb said Mayor Regalado has told him that he has his full support in working to restore the film production business in Miami.
“Tomas has been in radio and television for 40 years,” Gottlieb said. “He comes from a media background and I come from a media background. I was in radio and television advertising for about 30 years. I am here because Tomas has faith in me and that together we can promote the film industry and the arts like they have never been promoted before.
“We feel that the film and television industries are very clean businesses that can benefit Miami greatly,” Gottlieb said. “So our mission is to promote them and make them successful, and give them the opportunity to flourish and bring more business and good publicity to our community.”
He agrees that the film production business locally has declined in recent years, but said both the city and state have plans to attract the moviemakers back to South Florida.
“The principle reason that you don’t see too much television or film production down here is because there aren’t enough incentive tax credits,” Gottlieb said. “The states that are getting the lion’s share of TV and film production — Michigan, Iowa, Louisiana and even Puerto Rico — provide tax credits in the hundreds of millions of dollars and give about 40 to 50 percent of the value of the production in tax credits. So the production companies go to the states that are going to give them the most incentives. Florida has been in the 15 to 20 percent range and we have had a drop in the amount of money offered.
“However, there is an effort underway right now in Tallahassee to generate considerably more tax credits to help bring more film and television production down here,” Gottlieb said. “A bill is now making its way through the house and senate that will allocate about $75 million in tax credits that can be used to attract film and television production to Florida.
“So within the next month or two there will be a commitment by Florida to bring down about $50 million this year, another $50 million next year and then another $25 million the following year. That’s about $125 million in tax credits that will be available over the next three years to stimulate television and film production here.”
Gottlieb said it is important to make the public aware of the economic importance of the film industry to Miami.
“The film industry is very important to our economy,” he said. “Not just because it brings money into our community, but also because it puts a lot of very talented people to work, people who live here. Not just actors, but stagehands, electricians, people who do lighting, caterers and just so many different types of people. And, of course, the people who come here stay in our local hotels.
“And the publicity we ultimately get from that television show or film that was produced here is priceless. Look at the publicity we’re still getting from Miami Vice that was filmed here back in the ’80s and all the wonderful movies that have been shot here, like Marley and Me most recently and now the television series Burn Notice.”
He said they generate amazing amounts of publicity that tells the world what a great place Miami is and brings people down here to vacation and spend money.
“So we need the public to understand the value of the television and film industry and appreciate what we’re doing, and to be a little more patient when a road is closed or traffic is diverted while a scene is being shot,” Gottlieb said. “It’s really in the best interests of all of us who live here.”
For more information, Gottlieb may be contacted at 305-860-3823.
