Should District of Clearwater provide $3,000 to help promote a pilot for a television program produced in Clearwater?
That is the question that town councillors and staff will have to deal with following a presentation by Mike Politis to town council during its Sept. 15 meeting.
Politis and longtime local resident Glen Pickering co-produced the pilot, which is over two hours long and was filmed over a 10-day period last April.
About 65 per cent of those involved were from Clearwater and area. If the television program went ahead as a series, it would be a boon for the community, Politis felt.
Everyone involved in the production (except for the producers) was paid, he emphasized.
The money from the municipality would go towards making promotional materials, including a trailer, taking the movie to film festivals, plus possibly hiring a publicist.
Councillor Shelley Sim asked if he had been in touch with Vicci Weller at the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission.
He had talked with Weller, Politis said, but her agenda is different from theirs.
“She is trying to bring the big productions in while ours is to put ourselves in charge and bring the world to us,” Politis said.
The movie is essentially finished, he said, except some editing for a few scenes.
As is the usual practice in such requests, council referred the matter to staff for a recommendation to be decided on at a future meeting.
