Producers Guide to Michigan site aims at film biz

It didn't take long for Nick Johnston and his two partners to think of a way to build a business off of Michigan's new movie-making incentives.

The two quickly came up with the Producers Guide to Michigan, a Grosse Pointe-based website that serves as a local resource guide for filmmakers. Need a video camera, the Producers Guide to Michigan can tell you where to go. How about a grip for a set? It knows where those are, too. Soundstage? Please.

"We think there is a lot of talent in Michigan," Johnston says. "There are a lot of qualified people who can do this work."

The idea is to connect filmmakers with local businesses and the basic pieces of production. It's also an idea that is flourishing in California with several similar sites.

"We thought that it was something that was obviously needed here," Johnston says.

The Producers Guide to Michigan is already seeing a sizable bit of traffic even though it's only been up a few months. Johnston hopes to have 2,000 members paying $150 per year to list their equipment, stages and expertise on the site by the end of the year.

Johnston's company intends to hire a few more people as it climbs toward that number. It's also looking at creating a printed guide for it.

"There are a lot of directions this could go," Johnston says.

Source: Nick Johnston, co-founder of the Producers Guide to Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke

Related Tags

Entrepreneurship, Film / Video, Internet, Wayne County

Producers Guide to Michigan site aims at film biz

Related Tags

Recommended Content

Across Our Network