TVZ: Lucky Breaks & Magic Lanterns...

When I tell people that I used to work at a film studio in North Carolina there are usually two immediate questions. The first is “There’s a film studio in North Carolina?” followed by “How did you get that gig?” My usual responses are “Yes” and “Long Story”, but for the benefit of all of you, I will elaborate on both answers a bit more. Basically, this is the story of a few years in the careers of both myself and Dino De Laurentiis and decisions made by each, both good and bad. It’s also all thanks to a film called Firestarter.

Legend has it that back in the ancient times known as 1984 Dino De Laurentiis fell in love with the city of Wilmington, NC while location-scouting for Firestarter and decided to headquarter his new De Laurentiis Entertainment Group studio there. A darker legend says that he used budget money from that film, as well as a few subsequent films, to build soundstages and other facilities. Some say that De Laurentiis did this a few times in other cities around the world, always leaving just shy of going bankrupt. I don’t really believe any of that, but it sure makes an interesting and tawdry tale.

Whatever the reason, DEG Studios put Wilmington, NC on the map as a pre-imminent 'Film and TV production city'. De Laurentiis did eventually move on with Carolco Studios purchasing the facility. Unfortunately, Carolco had a few financial troubles in later years and the studio faced an uncertain future until EUE/Screen Gems stepped in. They have been the owners ever since. So, yes, there is a film studio in North Carolina and it often goes toe to toe with the big studios in Los Angeles and New York for attracting productions. Iron Man 3 shot there, for instance, so you can see it is a serious going concern...

As for how I ended working at this movie studio on the coast of North Carolina, that bears a little bit of an explanation as well...

CONTINUES... >>>

To read the rest of this article and gain access to all previous articles you need to have a subscription to Impact Extra. Sign up to Impact extra now and get a one month free trial.