Lights on, but no camera, action

The lights are still burning at the Omaha Film Office.

Although Kathy Rocco, who helped moviemakers in Omaha for nearly two decades, walked away from her desk for the last time Friday, someone will answer the phone when filmmakers call.

But Hollywood hasn't been calling lately.

Splice scenes of cobwebs strung across a silent telephone on a downtown office desk with images of declining tax revenue and you get the picture: Rocco's role in the cast was cut.

“There's a lot of emotion here,'' said Dana Markel, executive director of the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau. “People are close to Kathy. We hate to see her go.''

The convention bureau and its Omaha Film Office are funded by local lodging tax revenue, which has declined during the recession.

Markel said a subsequent staff restructuring and budget cuts led to the elimination of Rocco's job.

Rocco, who did not return a phone call seeking comment, was the sole employee of the film office and worked part time on film matters.

Most of her work at the convention bureau was with the visitor services staff, especially developing the office's new visitor center and coffee shop at 10th and Farnam Streets. She was a Douglas County employee until switching to the City of Omaha more than a year ago.

“If we had more film work, I'd not hesitate to hire her back,'' Markel said.

Markel said other employees would handle film office duties. The office's Web site will continue to provide information about filming in Omaha.

“We still have a film office,'' Markel said. “We still have the authority to help production crews get city permits. We will still help find locations.''

Mark Hoeger, an Omaha filmmaker, said Rocco was widely known in the industry and intimately involved in getting a few scenes of George Clooney's “Up in the Air'' filmed in Omaha last year.

“There hasn't been much work here,'' Hoeger said. “‘Up in the Air' was a rare exception.''

Markel said city officials want to see Omaha's share of the film industry grow.

“We're interested in gaining as much of the film economy in the city as we can,'' she said.

The problem, she said, is that Nebraska is one of fewer than 10 states that offer no tax breaks or rebates to those shooting movies, television shows and advertising.

A bill introduced this week in the Legislature would provide incentives to allow Nebraska to compete with other states and increase film and television production in the state. State Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha introduced the measure, Legislative Bill 1073.

The head of the Nebraska Film Office in Lincoln, Laurie Richards, works part time out of her home.

Without incentives, Nebraska's role in filmmaking tends to be more reactive than proactive, Markel said.

“We're just not competitive,'' she said.

Contact the writer:

444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com

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