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In addition to her successful film production career, Leah is the President of Film Florida, a non-profit trade organization that supports Florida’s film and entertainment industries, working to ensure fair labor, create new jobs in the film industry and promote economic development in the state. Film is big business for any local economy, but Florida took a big hit in the film industry starting in the late 1990s.


Canada began offering attractive tax incentives for film production, as did other countries and US states. But Florida’s incentives at that time weren’t as competitive, causing the state’s ranking as a top filmmaking location to drop drastically.

Now all that as changed. The Motion Picture Association of America reports that Florida’s 2011 film industry produced 15 movies and 12 TV series, creating over 27,500 jobs with $1.3 billion in wages. Florida’s new production incentives that started in 2010 offer cash rebates on dollars spent filming in the state. These include 20-30% transferable tax credits, up to a maximum of $8 million and bonus incentives for off-season filming and other factors. “The impact the new incentives has had on our local economy is astounding,” said Leah.”

As for filming in Broward County, Leah says, “I can’t say enough about how welcoming and accommodating the Broward Film Commission, the Broward Sherriff’s Office, the administration of the Cities of Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood and the Fort Lauderdale Police have been.

Even the mayor of Parkland welcomed us into his office to shoot some film. Unlike some other locations, we’ve had no complaints from residents in the neighborhoods where the filming takes place in this county. It’s a real pleasure to work here, and I’d love to do more in the future.”

While serving as President of Film Florida, Leah hopes to make more strides in increasing the state’s participation in the film production industry and attracting more filmmakers. She's often visiting Tallahassee to meet with state legislators, in the interest of Florida's film industry and economy. “I have so many supportive people around me who share my commitment to the industry. We’ve come a long way in the last few years, and my goal is to have that trend continue. The better the film industry, the better the tourism industry. We use other people’s money to bring value to the Sunshine State’s lifestyle, resulting in a positive economic impact. It’s a win-win situation for all involved.”

When asked why she prefers to work in the Florida film industry rather than in California or New York, Leah said, “I am a Florida native, and I’ll always be an ambassador for the place I love. In Florida, the people are friendly, the weather is terrific, the sun is always shining, and even our ugly stuff is pretty. Who wouldn’t want to film here?”

Sources: Film in Florida, Film Florida, Motion Picture Association of America, International Movie Data Base.