THE EMERGING FUTURE OF VIDEO PRODUCTION –
“MADE IN MICHIGAN”

Lansing, MI– MI-NATAS Annual Membership Conference - "MADE IN MICHIGAN" The Board of Governors came together at the Michigan State University Henry Center for the 2008 annual meeting on Saturday, September 13, 2008. Heavy rain had brought flooding to parts of Michigan forcing closure of some roads and was expected to continue throughout the entire weekend. However, that did not stop guest speakers Janet Lockwood with the Michigan Film Office, Jeff Spilman (S3 Entertainment Group), Diana Carpenter with Michigan Works, The Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB), Comcast, along with Eastern Michigan University student and faculty from joining in our the planned discussion of the Made in Michigan evolution
of TV.

	It was a full day planned with the Board of Governors meeting kicking off as the official start of business. Michelle DeSouza gave an update on our job bank. Gerald Rimmer discussed our current budget. A committee to revise by-laws was established.
New board members Doug De Young and Jayne Hodak were officially welcomed by all. This was all wrapped up by official updates and action items by President, Gary May infusing the board with true feeling of confidence for 2009.
	The opening program garnered full attention as Carlota Almanza-Lumpkin, V.P. of PROGRAMS introduced our first guest speaker Janet Lockwood of the Michigan Film Office. Janet gave a well-informed view of the Michigan film incentive backed up by many questions from the audience.Jeff Spilman’s overview of S3 Entertainment Group, a Michigan-based company focused on building an infrastructure in the State, helped with the realization that film and television producers can maximize the benefits of the production incentive while delivering the Hollywood experience.
Michigan Works representative, Diana Carpenter, drove home the No Worker Left Behind Program and how production ties in as an emerging industry. MAB Representatives, Dan Kelley and Larry Eslack went behind the scenes on answers to questions such as:
	What is the digital TV (DTV) transition? Why are we switching to DTV? What do I need to do to be ready for the end of analog TV broadcasting? Do I have to wait until after February 17, 2009 to watch DTV? If I have an older analog television, will I have to throw it away after February 17, 2009?
John Garner with Comcast ensured everyone that Comcast customers do not need to do anything. “As long as a customer’s TV set is connected to our network, we’ll take care of the transition for them.” That’s right - from The Michigan Film Tax Initiative to the future of jobs and business opportunities we delved into it all.The 2008 annual membership meeting proved to be a worthwhile exploration into what’s on the DTV and much more! It’s an advantageous annual event that’s sure to prove worthy of participation of all those connected to TV on every spectrum. Mark your calendar now for September 2009.