Hallman said having a national sponsor back the event should encourage local businesses to get more involved with the Grand Prix of Alabama. Legacy Credit Union is also still a sponsor. “What it shows to the local corporate community is that one of the fellow corporate citizens is stepping up and supporting an event in our backyard,” he said. “I think that will create some momentum for local companies to jump on board as well.” Darin White, sports business and marketing professor at Samford University, said consumers could transfer positive experiences with Honda to the Grand Prix event – one positive for the sponsorship signing. “Having a major national sponsor for a local sporting event clearly communicates value and the importance of the event beyond just the local market,” he said. “From a marketing perception standpoint, a sponsor like Honda will help that event develop certain positive attributes in the minds of potential spectators.” White said the three-year length of the sponsorship is fairly standard. He said it also opens the door for more national sponsors to bid for the event in the future if the event goes off well. Promoting races at Barber Motor Sports Park and Talladega Superspeedway should push attendance at both events, White said. “It should help both events, because there will be some spectators who will stay the entire week, which is a boost to the economy,” he said. “It seems like a win-win for Talladega and Barber. Those are two very different target markets, however, so there is some cross over in the target audiences.”

For the complete article please see http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2010/09/06/daily23.html

 

For the complete article please see http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2010/09/13/daily40.html?ana=e_du_pub

Shelby County movie producers filming their first feature
From the article “Erwin Brothers keep first feature film local by Katie Hurst in the Shelby County Reporter:

Shelby County’s local movie-making brothers are hard at work on the production of their first feature film, “October Baby.” Jon and Andy Erwin, of Erwin Brothers Motion Pictures out of Calera, have been filming around the county this month. Scenes have been shot in Helena, the Birmingham airport, St. Paul’s cathedral in downtown Birmingham and Mobile. The film’s co-producer, Dan Atchison of Helena, said the crew has been doubling up on scene locations. Alabaster’s Barron Fan Technologies acted as the set for both a scene at a mechanic’s shop and a scene that takes place in a junkyard. “It keeps us from driving all over town,” he said. “It saves time, it saves money. It’s all smoke and mirrors.” It’s no accident that the brothers chose to film in their home state, Atchison said. Keeping the film local was intentional. “We wanted to shoot our first feature film here,” he said. “Alabama is a beautiful state. We hope to attract more films here. It’s good for the economy, it’s really good for our state.”

Thanks to the Alabama film incentives that were approved in July, the company will receive a 25 percent rebate on production expenses over $500,000. It gives the film a 25 percent larger budget and it keeps jobs and money in the state, Atchison said. Much of the crew and cast are also from Alabama, including the film’s lead actress, Rachel Hendrix. Other familiar cast names include Chris Sligh, Nashville-based American Idol contestant and John Schneider from the TV show, “Smallville” and the original “Dukes of Hazzard.” The movie follows the story of a college-aged girl who finds out she’s adopted and searches out her birth mother. It’s a coming-of-age story about recovering from a painful past and finding forgiveness, Atchison said.“We hope it will cause people to think about the relationships in their lives,” he said. “But it will entertain first and foremost. The Birmingham area is the perfect place for filming because of the diversity between big city, country and old small towns, Atchison said. “Birmingham really plays any town U.S.A., you can make it anywhere,” he said. “It’s a great place to shoot.” The film will be in post-production for at least three months before touring at festivals, Atchison said. The goal is for a big distributor to pick it up and put the film in theaters spring of 2012. If they meet that goal, the company would like to premiere the film like they produced it – locally, Atchison said.

For the complete article please see http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2010/09/13/erwin-brothers-keep-first-feature-film-local/ 

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