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Greg Bordonaro

Hartford Business Journal

May 17, 2010

Connecticut’s fledgling film industry is prepping for its much anticipated turn in the spotlight.

The state has set the stage with tax credits. Connecticut’s first studio to be built from the ground up is expected to open soon in South Windsor. But will it have the workers?

Some industry officials agree that Connecticut doesn’t yet have the union workforce to fill all the high-skill, high-pay jobs that Connecticut Studios is expected to create.

It’s a dilemma all too familiar to Andrew Gernhard. He is constantly searching for new talent for his Rocky Hill-based company Synthetic Cinema International, which has shot and produced about eight films in Connecticut since 2004.

His company, which mostly concentrates on monster flicks, employs about 40 people during the production process of a single movie. Nearly 75 percent of his crew is locally hired, but the rest are imported from nearby states.

Even though Synthetic Cinema is well known locally and receives dozens of jobs applications a week, Gernhard said it hasn’t been easy finding homegrown talent.

“It’s hard to find qualified people in Connecticut. There is not much of a workforce here yet,” Gernhard said. “We need more skilled people who have experience. Big films are bringing people in from Boston, New York and Los Angeles.”

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CONNECTICUT STUDIOS HIRES VETERAN INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE AS PRESIDENT, STUDIO AND
DIGITAL MEDIA OPERATIONS
Mark Miller to lead management and operations at new world-class studio facility in South Windsor, CT

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT, APRIL 30, 2010—Connecticut Studios, LLC today announced that it has hired veteran Television and Film industry executive, Mark Miller, as President, Studio and Digital Media Operations, for its new full service state-of-the-art motion picture and television studio, production and post production facility to be located in the town of South Windsor, CT.

Miller is a 35-year veteran of the television and film industry who has managed production sound stages and engineered and designed several major postproduction companies. He was Co-Founder and Co-President of Eden FX—a leading provider of visual effects for episodic television, feature film and commercials.

Miller previously served as Executive V.P. and Managing Director of the successful Santa Monica-based Digital Magic Company which provided Visual Effects for such shows as “Star Trek” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Angel”, the “X-Files” and several feature films such as “Armageddon”. Prior to Digital Magic, Miller was President of Unitel Video Hollywood, a position he was promoted to after spending ten years as Executive V.P. of Engineering and Operations.

“We are thrilled to have Mark Miller as a member of the Connecticut Studios senior management team,” said Ralph Palumbo, chief financial officer/member, Connecticut Studios LLC. “Mark is a high-caliber senior executive who has more than 35 years of west coast television and film industry experience designing and managing highly successful postproduction companies. We brought Mark onboard several months ago and he has been steadily transitioning into his full-time role while working on relocating to the South Windsor area.”

Earlier in his career, Miller held positions as V.P. of Engineering for several post-production facilities including Prime Time Post and Compact Video and as Engineering, Video Control and Technical Director for the CBS Television Network, where his assignments included such award winning shows such as All in the Family, Sonny and Cher, Carol Burnett, The Kennedy Center Honors, Bob Hope in China and the CBS 50th Anniversary special. He served as a location Technical Director for many sporting events, including The PGA Tour, Super Bowls, NFL Football and more.

“Connecticut Studios is going to quickly become a major player in the film and television production industry,” said Miller. “I am eager to bring my Hollywood experience to the east coast and to be able to play a leadership role from the beginning in designing and managing Connecticut Studios facilities and operations. We’re building something unique and special in South Windsor. It’s going to exciting to watch it grow and succeed.”

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored Miller with two Emmy wins while at Eden FX for his contributions to the VFX on Star Trek “Enterprise” series (The Series pilot and “Countdown”). He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his Technical Direction for “CBS On The Air”.

Connecticut Studios is currently in the process of reviewing bids and selecting construction subcontractors and expects to break ground later this year.