Forum Member gets her own TV Show.

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Rope-Pusher
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Forum Member gets her own TV Show.

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By Catherine Kavanaugh, Daily Tribune Staff Writer

FERNDALE -- Jeff Spilman, managing partner for S3 Entertainment Group, is scouring the metro area this week for office space, a set warehouse and shooting locations for the first television series to be completely filmed and produced in Michigan.

The tween sitcom called "The Wannabes" will begin production somewhere locally within the next three months instead of Houston, Texas, because Michigan offers the most comprehensive film and television incentives in the nation.

Last year, S3EG, 1100 Woodward Heights, helped build the infrastructure for producers and filmmakers to take advantage of the initiative giving refunds up to 42 percent of their Michigan expenses. The company has the largest inventory in the state of lighting equipment and it has invested in cranes, camera cars and generators.

This year, S3EG is taking on a larger role in the entertainment industry as it co-produces "The Wannabes" with Stern-LeMaire, which manages the pop music group Savvy.

The series will star the six teen singers of Savvy that headlined Radio Disney's Feeling Groovy tour as students at a performing arts high school. They want to be pop stars but the school is focused on the classics. The students begin performing away from the school grounds as The Wannabes.

"I'm looking at schools and houses now," Spilman said Tuesday morning during an interview from his mobile phone. "In the next two days we'll work on filling cast and crew positions."

Twenty-six episodes of "The Wannabes" are planned and hundreds of new jobs for crew and talent are expected to be created, according to Ron Stern, executive producer.

"There will be tons of chances for talent," he said. "The creative director is busy right now developing key characters who will befriend The Wannabes."

The series will be distributed by Showcase Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based company that marketed the tween action series "Flight 29 Down" to more than 100 networks around the world.

Spilman, who grew up in Farmington Hills, said Michigan has a lot to offer the industry.

"Our best asset is the people," he said. "They have a great work ethic and they are nice to work with. Then there are the film-friendly communities, great locations and fantastic hotels."

S3EG also will co-produce "The Irishman," a movie that was supposed to be set in Cleveland, Ohio. It begins shooting May 1.

"We've got about five projects now," Spilman said. "We took 'Little Murder' from Louisiana and grabbed one that was supposed to be (produced) in the United Kingdom. The incentives are bringing a lot of folks here and the people of Michigan have stepped up."

After the tax credit was established a year ago, filming expenditures increased from barely $2 million in 2007 to about $125 million in 2008 for the 35 productions that were completed. The refundable tax credit amounts to almost $48 million. The projects created an estimated 2,800 jobs.

For information about working on "The Wannabes," Spilman said interested cast and crew should watch for updates at www.s3eg.com.

Contact Catherine Kavanaugh at cathy.kavanaugh@dailytribune.com or (586) 783-0216.
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Rope-Pusher
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Re: Forum Member gets her own TV Show.

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Hey Wannabe,

With your new show, make sure that all the vehicles featured are equipped with Amish transmissions. That way, they'll have to hire a better class of actors to drive them.
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wannabe
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Re: Forum Member gets her own TV Show.

Post by wannabe »

i'll make sure they hire you guys...haha
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comingbackdown
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Re: Forum Member gets her own TV Show.

Post by comingbackdown »

I'd drive 'em! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
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Leedeth
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Re: Forum Member gets her own TV Show.

Post by Leedeth »

Would I be right to say this is a fabricated news release?
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Re: Forum Member gets her own TV Show.

Post by Rope-Pusher »

It's twoo. We can only hope that Wannabe can hire us as drivers and lease our vehicles, too.
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