Great Mission 1 Billion Speaker May meeting. Plus Our Special Speaker For June 10 meeting!

Kathy Byrne spoke on professional movie and television production, deliverables, paperwork, issues with distribution, and the benefits of SAG productions and hiring professional talent. So glad Kathy returned to share again. She joined us in December, She is such a fountain of knowledge and wisdom and her job is to make it easy for you to follow guidelines, procedures and add value to your production and career. What you don’t know about distribution and the business of film can hurt you. Kathy can help you.

Leslie Ivarson spoke on acting inn Wisconsin, Los Angeles and Chicago and the differences locale can make. She presented career ideas and cautioned actors union and non about potential scams which are ripe in this industry..Leslie emphasized safety in auditions and the difference between a legitimate casting session and one that is not. Be ware and never go to a home, apartment or hotel for casting – and never one on one. GO to a legitimate audition is a recognized casting office to be safe. She’s been in Screen Actors Guild 30 years. She led a delightful interactive film game.

Rachel Harrison spoke on being a professional stunt performer who works for Dick Wolf Productions, Chicago Fire, PD and Med, among others. She describe some of the burn stunts, explosions, driving cars, jumping from plans and fall and others and concerns stunt performers, productions and the stunt coordinator have for filming. Safety always first. Also about doubling actors. And the category in SAG for stunt performers. She also cautioned those interested to be sure to vet ‘stunt schools’ since anyone can hang a shingle out and do. Being a martial artist doesn’t make you a fight choreographer there is more to it than that.

Everyone had a great time and Mission 1 Billion thanks Kathy, Leslie and Rachel for sharing with us, spending their time with us and providing important education and advice.

It was a great event. Our next meeting is June 10. Veronica Pope the Film Commissioner in Wisconsin is our quest speaker. Read on below.

MISSION 1 BILLION is here to help you!

MISSION 1 BILLION IS A PRIVATE GROUP – you can use the QR code in the photo below to request an invite. Take a picture of the QR code with your phone to get an invite to join Mission 1 Billion.

Here is the FB address for the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mission1billionofficial

When applying for membership (it’s free to join) PLEASE answer the questions and agree to follow the rules. You will not be accepted to join until you do. We open many meetings to the public and they are free. You can also invite and bring along your filmmaker and actor friends.

OUR JUNE 10 SPEAKER is WISCONSIN FILM COMMISSIONER VERONICA POPE

Veronica is an Emmy Award-winning producer from Mequon, Wisconsin, bringing nearly two decades of experience in the film and television industry. As a showrunner and executive producer, she has worked with leading cable channels such as HGTV, Magnolia, DIY, and the Travel Channel, as well as major networks including Warner Brothers, Discovery, Scripps, A&E, and Fox. 

She has developed shows for the streamers, directed industry announcements for tech companies, produced entertainment-first travel series for Louisiana and the Virgin Islands, and had chocolate chip cookies by the pool in Malibu with Dick Van Dyke.

She’s also developed content for Netflix, created and produced a travel series for the state of Louisiana and helped launch the Magnolia Network’s first slate of lifestyle programming and content.

“We want to put Wisconsin on the map,” Pope says. “Maybe we’ve been overlooked for production because we’ve been one of the few states that didn’t have a film office or tax credits. We really want to show the national stage that we’re ready.”

“There’s a lot of really talented people here who have already done really great productions,” she continues. “It’s really an opportunity to grow that [and add] the economic impact of bringing production here, and then having those productions promote and show and celebrate Wisconsin to the rest of the country.”

Over the course of two decades, Pope has worked as a showrunner, executive producer and development producer.

“I love making things. I love the final product and getting to show something for your work and telling a story that brings people in,” Pope says. “I’ve launched new platforms and have done a lot of large-scale project management roles. It was the combination of the creative work and the financial piece of my background that really made me excited for this role with Film Wisconsin.”

Craig Trost, Communications Director at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, said Pope’s hiring came after the most competitive search process he’d seen in 19 years of working in state government.

“It was a really incredible pool of applicants but Veronica just stood out. She was just the perfect fit,” he says. “It’s an office of one, so you’ve got to have somebody who can be a good administrator and can track the state law to make sure that we are adhering to administering tax credits only to qualified applicants, all while also promoting what’s great about Wisconsin and having those connections to bring filmmakers and producers here.”

An Evergreen, Colorado native, Pope landed in Wisconsin about 10 years ago due to what she described as a family work situation. She’s spent her early time on her new job working to launch the film tax credit applications.

“We really want to be able to administer these tax credits and get people going on their projects,” Pope says. “We want to support and enrich the creative community here and make sure that we’re attracting productions to Wisconsin, either through people who hadn’t considered the state before, or by getting some production here that maybe otherwise wouldn’t have happened without these tax credits.”

Film Wisconsin is dishing out a production services tax credit and a production company investment credit.

Those include a 30% tax credit on eligible production expenditures; 30% tax credit on the first $250,000 of wages paid to cast and crew; 100% of sales and use taxes paid in Wisconsin for purchases used in Wisconsin; 30% tax credit on tangible, personal property used for production; and a 30% tax credit to acquire, construct or repair production-based property.

The state is poised to benefit economically from hotel room-nights and the hiring of local crews and caterers, among other things, and Wisconsin offers an array of benefits for film production companies, Pope says. “We have such a diverse landscape that offers so many different visual backgrounds,” she explains. “There’s also a really talented group of professionals working here.”

There’s Plenty of Support for Film Wisconsin

Pope says she has looked at other states, including Colorado, which recently expanded tax incentive credits for film, TV and commercial productions that desire to shoot in that state, and New Mexico, which ranks as a premier hub for TV and film production due to its competitive, long-standing incentive programs.

“Colorado has done a great job of building the film community and attracting business. New Mexico has done a great job, too,” Pope says. “We are excited to be on this kind of stage. We’re growing a brand-new office and I’m excited to take the best from all of the examples out there and apply that uniquely to Wisconsin’s program.”

There’s already growing support for Film Wisconsin from within the state, Pope says.

“I have met some incredible production people in Wisconsin and I know that there are so many producers, cinematographers and studios that are excited about the effort to bring these tax credits back,” she says.

The tax credit program, along with a decentralization of the once Los Angeles-centric film industry, could bode well for Wisconsin’s effort to make its mark as a spot for filming movies and television shows. “I never had to [live] in L.A., Atlanta or New York when I was a producer and a director,” Pope says. “We’ve seen a huge shift. People are coming back to Wisconsin. There’s a lot of really talented people that maybe left and are excited to come back to make things here. We have a great opportunity.”

In a state that is often deeply divided along political lines, Pope says there’s bipartisan support for the Film Wisconsin’s efforts. “It’s easy to see why,” she says. “Television and film production can mean big bucks for Wisconsin, and I think that’s something everybody can get behind.”

How Does the Application Process Work?

The application for tax credits is now open, and applications will be reviewed monthly. Eligible projects include feature and short films, scripted and unscripted TV series, documentaries and broadcast advertising.

“We’re excited to see who applies. We’re really looking for a great variety of projects to be able to support,” Pope says.

However, credits aren’t guaranteed. “You have to be approved and it’s discretionary,” Pope explains.  “But our goal is to support productions that are going to add the most to Wisconsin, drive the most economic impact and interact with as many regions as possible across the state.

Applicants can go to Film Wisconsin’s website for more information.

Veronica Pope is the director of Wisconsin’s new film office, Film Wisconsin, within the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

Veronica Pope’s leadership aims to revitalize Wisconsin’s film industry and showcase the state’s potential for production.

SO come on out and learn what this means for YOU, your projects, and for the state. It’s an exciting time. We got the incentives back FINALLY and we’ve a new person at the helm. Do not miss this meeting.

Veronica Pope Mission 1 Billion Speaker Meeting July 10 7pm SHARP! Shcmidty’s Bar & Grill 16755 W, Lisbon, Brookfield, WI 53005 PLEASE be on time so we can start on time. In fact, come early and stay later networking. ALSO it is pizza night! Order a large pizza and get a free pitcher of beer or soda. OR order off the menu. The food is great! 

Enter through door UNDER THE WHITE CLAW SIGN!

Free and open to public. Please help spread the word. Share this with your friends and colleagues.

We’ll have more Mission 1 Billion (official website > https://www.missiononebillion.org) project discussions, film events, speakers and class sessions coming up live and in person and will report on it here.

People connecting on projects and helping each other out is what we are all about. We endeavor to be a useful resource to you!

Subscribe free to Rex Sikes Movie’ Beat blog (https://rexsikesmoviebeat.me) and Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat spotify(https://open.spotify.com/show/2zoiOvG8US1aiu5efAxNv6) at spotify for free. Podcast has over 600 hours of professional filmmakers sharing their expertise with you. It’s an education – learn what to do AND what not to do to be more successful! Enjoy the shows.

Want to join Mission 1 Billion on Facebook OR SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS?

Use the QR code right below – take a picture of it with your phone to receive invite – or to share it with your filmmaker and actor friends. OR USE THIS LINK https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18cUQaFSXL/

Request to join. BE SURE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS if you want to be approved for membership!!!! Follow the sign in instructions and rules and become one of us.

LINK TO ARTICLE from Los Angeles Tribune (https://rexsikesmoviebeat.me/2025/08/02/how-heartspire-and-mission-1-billion-are-turning-creative-media-into-real-world-miracles-for-families-in-crisis/) about Dan & Rex Heartspire & Mission 1 Billion vision, mission and action. What will we do and what can you do to help! Become a part of something wonderful and helpful to filmmakers and others.

See ya there AND in the next blog!