Film office to return as "Studio 48"

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - The Arizona Film Office, which was closed down six years ago, now has a second take, in the form of "Studio 48".

For Phoenix Film Commissioner Phil Bradstock, having a new State Film Office is a dream come true. The state has not had one cohesive place for production companies to strike a deal for the past six years.

Now, that is changing, and some say the office will benefit many people.

"We've only had film offices, really, in Phoenix, Tucson, Wickenburg, Prescott and Flagstaff," said Bradstock. "Not, we get to represent the entire state."

Having the Grand Canyon State appear in commercials and films is not only exciting and good for tourism, but it can also be lucrative. The Arizona Commerce Authority has been trying to drum up funds to renew the state's effort to house one film office. Now, with support from GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons and others, the effort is now put in action.

Bradstock describes the project as an "uphill battle", but said the payoffs will far outweigh the challenges.

"To have someone to fill that void now, to answer questions from the filmmakers, and to be able to unite a lot of the government agencies, it's going to create a much more seamless service for the production companies, when they want to make something here in Arizona," said Bradstock.

There's no set deadline for Studio 48 yet. In addition, a focus for the new film office is reportedly the up-and-coming digital media scene.