Gotham City Limits

The call from our New York City counterpart was certainly confirmation that we had scored a coup. "Batman is filming in Chicago? But we're Gotham City!" Over-identification with comic book municipalities is not considered all that crazy when your client list includes Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker.

To our competitors and even some local residents, Chicago's success in attracting super heroes and Hollywood filmmakers is still viewed as an anathema, a startling circus on the streets where finance, manufacturing and retail are the expected business norms.

After all, Chicago is NOT the recognized world capital of filmed entertainment. Chicago is NOT the headquarters of General Electric, Sony or Viacom. Chicago is NOT Metropolis, which as we all know, is located 300 miles to the south along the north bank of the Ohio River.

Why "Batman Begins" (and the currently shooting, "Stranger Than Fiction," "The Break Up," "Drunk Boat" and the television series "Prison Break") selected Chicago as their cinematic homes can all be explained in a quality that stingy studio executives and spendthrift directors alike almost unanimously long to achieve: production value.

First and foremost, Chicago looks stunning. As a glittering metropolis or a concrete jungle, the drama of Chicago's architecture, alleyways, "L" tracks and lakefront are camera-ready. We can play it straight or double as somewhere else (yes, even New York!). You can chase through it, fall in love in it, be thrown from a rooftop in it, blow it up and it always looks great.

Secondly, but not necessarily in order of priority, the crews and technicians, the talent (often drawn from our internationally praised theater community), the vendors, the facilities—they are all top notch. The infrastructure exists here. Producers say all they need to bring is their toothbrush.

"Film friendliness" counts for a lot. In a follow-up meeting with the head of feature production for Warner Bros., Steve Papazian stated that were it not for the cooperation the City granted for the film's chases, helicopters, stunts and sundry bat-antics, "Batman Begins" could not have been made here.

That's not to say we give away the store. Striking a reasonable balance between the potentially disruptive demands of film production with the routine of busy city life is essential, and the most critical component of The Chicago Film Office's operation.

Lastly, but almost always considered first, is the bottom line. The State of Illinois just renewed legislation offering qualified producers a 25% wage tax credit on local hires with additional inducements for minority hiring. What better incentive than a sale? The returns on this tax break are considerable. In 2004, the state reported $77 million in local spending by film and television productions—dollars not for the rich and famous, but entirely local revenue pumped directly into job creation, small businesses, and city and state taxes. This year it's estimated that number will reach $100 million.

The truth is there will always be a cheaper destination to make movies. Canada—the despised opportunists who pioneered film incentives and gave birth to the term "runaway production"—is now losing out to Australia, South Africa, and soon, according to their marketing materials, Malaysia.

Incentives only work when you have something exceptional to sell. We are fortunate. Filmmakers want what we have to offer. In particular, influential filmmaking Chicago natives want what we have to offer. So why Chicago? Given the extraordinary value, why not?

--Rich Moskal
Director, Chicago Film Office

For more information about filming in Chicago, please email Rich Moskal at filmoffice@cityofchicago.org, or visit the Chicago Film Office online.

Chicago Named Best U.S. City for Foreign Investment

The London-based Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) magazine, a Financial Times publication, recently named Chicago the overall "U.S. City of the Future" in its June/July 2005 issue. The award honors Chicago for its many attributes as a center for foreign investment.

The article naming America's best city for foreign investment begins, "Chicago is without doubt a world-class city—so much so that the entity that promotes it is called World Business Chicago. The details explain why."

Boston and New York took second and third place in the City category, respectively, while Texas was crowned fDi's "U.S. State of the Future."

The Windy City also won four overall individual categories including "Best Economic Potential," "Best Transport," "Best IT and Telecommunications," and "Best FDI Promotion Strategy." fDi previously named Chicago the Midwest region's "City of the Future" in its April issue as well.

The June issue states, "Among the three most important factors in securing investment in Chicago are the availability of world-class and diverse talent, superb transportation and connectivity infrastructure, and a business-friendly environment."

Chicago is also recognized for the wide variety of financial incentives available to potential investors looking to bring business to the city. Such incentives include tax-increment finance funding—also known as TIF—used in more than 100 Chicago districts alone. Other incentives include worker training, small business loans from both the city and the state, and Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) state tax credits, to name a few.

In a congratulatory letter to World Business Chicago fDi's U.K.-based editors wrote that, "competition for investments in the United States is fierce," and noted that the awards' judges felt Chicago, "stood out from the other entries from across the United States."

"Chicago continually reinvents itself, always taking leadership in new sectors, resulting in it being North America's most diversified economy," the article reads. "This combination of market access and economic diversity offers all of the resources needed to build a successful, world-class business: stability, support, opportunities for growth, and the good life."

In January, fDi invited North American development promotion agencies to nominate their city or state for recognition as an attractive locale for foreign direct investment. World Business Chicago submitted the Chicago nomination.

Recent achievements such as the attraction of the global headquarters of BP's $13 billion Olefins and Derivatives spin-off, Innovene, the landmark $1.8 billion lease of the Chicago Skyway to foreign investors, and the establishment of Astellas Pharma's North American Headquarters in Deerfield, IL. without a doubt helped sway the magazine's judges.

The judges consisted of location consultants, corporate leaders and fDi's project manager. The group based their decision on criteria such as Economic Potential, Cost Effectiveness, Human Resources, IT and Telecom Infrastructure, Transportation Infrastructure, FDI Promotion Strategy and Quality of Life.

The magazine was recently distributed at the national BIO 2005 conference in Philadelphia in mid-June and an awards ceremony is scheduled for later this year at a yet-to-be named venue.

fDi's parent company also publishes the Financial Times newspaper. The magazine's worldwide audience consists of development agencies working to attract foreign investment and business executives.

--Tom Bartoski, Director of International Business Development
and Elizabeth Fulk, Media Specialist

To read the full story in fDi magazine, click here.

It's a Wrap: WIRED NextFest A Hit

NextFest doubled attendance records and committed to return to Chicago in 2008. Billed as a 3-day mini World's Fair, WIRED magazine's NextFest was big, bold and chocked with innovative technologies from the world of tomorrow... and beyond.

With an estimated 40,000 thrill-seeking Chicagoans in attendance, NextFest managed to double the response from its inaugural event the year prior in San Francisco. Over 100 media outlets covered the affair, including 60 Minutes, NBC Today Show, ABC World News Tonight and The Wall Street Journal. The Discovery Channel's own Mythbusters, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, were even on scene to record a special segment.

Mythbuster's Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman try to predict the future.

The KHR-3 HUBO is a HUmanoid roBOt from Korea's Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. HUBO lets people know that he's more than just nuts n' bolts.

NextFest leadership dedicated all of Friday as Education Day, specifically opening the show for over 9,000 kids and members of the non-profit community. At the opening ceremony, WIRED Publisher Drew Shutte joined Editor-In-Chief Chris Andersen in welcoming Chicago's student body, priming the pumps of wide-eyed onlookers in the standing-room-only crowd. With a special appearance from Mayor Daley, they all joined on stage in presenting awards to this year's Chicago Public School's student Science Fair winners.

The Science Channel brings you inside the world's hottest high-tech showplace... cool glowing green dome included.

WIRED Publisher Drew Shutte opens NextFest Education Day.

Mayor Daley celebrates Chicago Public School's 2005 Science Fair winners.

After delivering a passionate speech on the importance of innovation and creativity as bedrock for the foundation of learning, Mayor Daley walked the floor and visited each of the themed pavilions. At the Future of Communication Pavilion, the Mayor stopped by to say hello to our friends from Motorola, Chicago's hometown wireless & mobility pioneers. As the City of Chicago and Motorola celebrated its partnership in the first annual Technology Innovation Week, Motorola signaled its commitment to innovation through its strong presence at NextFest. Alongside nine other advanced technologies from Chicago-based researchers and scientists, Moto shared a crop of current and futuristic possibilities.

Mayor Daley learns about MOTOMESH™ whose architecture supports up to four radio networks in a single access point. MOTOMESH provides fixed and mobile broadband access to users in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band, as well as in the new licensed 4.9 GHz public safety band.

NextFest Program Director Victor Friedberg should be given extra kudos for putting on a spectacular event here in Chicago. Friedberg worked tirelessly to ensure that every point on the globe was scoured for NextFest entries—no small task, indeed. The same congratulatory hand should be extended to the folks at the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), under the leadership of Navy Pier General Manager Tim Macy and Chief Information Officer Ellen Barry.

We are all certainly looking forward to many more years of success for WIRED's NextFest—with our eyes set on its return to Chicago in 2008.

--Dan Lyne
Director of Technology Development

Chicago by the Numbers

World Business Chicago
177 N. State Street, Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois 60601

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