Filmmakers show interest in city

Fred D’Amico of the fledgling Youngstown Film Commission and city councilman Mike Ray attended a Film Market convention in Los Angeles late last year, and it might be showing some results.

The convention is a place where filmmakers, producers and others meet and put together deals.

This weekend, a crew from Odyssey Motion Pictures will be in town scouting locations and meeting with city officials in hopes of securing a financing package to shoot one or more movies here. The film being mentioned most is tentatively titled “Exit 102: Asbury Park,” a period piece set in 1970s New Jersey.

D’Amico said the float loan program that the city offers was an eye-opener for producers at the convention. “Some of them couldn’t believe the package we can offer,” he said.

The Odyssey Pictures crew is being lodged at the Wick Tower in downtown Youngstown under an agreement from Dominic Marchionda, developer of the newly refurbished building that has apartments and short-term-stay rooms.

Film director/producer Marc Klebanoff and actor/director Peter Dobson are expected to be among the group from Odyssey Pictures that will be in town this weekend.

The last project the film commission worked on was a shoot by Mad Media of a stunt rider on a Polaris off-road vehicle that took place at several industrial sites in the Valley. Mad Media spent several weeks in the area and reportedly spent $390,000 on the video it made here, said D’Amico.

THIS AND THAT

New beer: Paladin Brewing Co. on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown plans to release as many as four new beers this month.

The first one, Mosaic Tribute, will be poured for the first time Friday. It’s a single malt and single hopped pale ale.

The first tap pull will be at 6 p.m.

Magazine nod: In a year-end article that predicts what 2016 will bring, Amplify, a magazine and website that covers the concert and live-event industry, named Youngstown as a city to watch.

The magazine actually is expecting continued growth in several Rust Belt cities, including Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

The Youngstown area began to see more than its fair share of concerts and events last year. That’s mainly due to the takeover of Packard Music Hall by JAC Management, and an increased emphasis on booking shows – mainly country and Christian artists – at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Only one band: There is only one band representing the Mahoning Valley at this year’s Tri-C High School Rock Off in Cleveland. Mine, a six-piece act from South Range High, will perform Saturday in the first round of the regional battle of the bands at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There is a story on page C7.

In past years, there was almost always a handful of Valley bands in the event. A total of 42 bands were accepted to the competitive event.

A lot of art: The entertainment industry tends to slow down in the height of winter, so it’s a good time for local visual artists to come into the spotlight.

This weekend, at least four exhibits are opening, including “Merkaba,” which includes several massive abstract pieces by Jim Pernotto at the Butler Institute of American Art. At the Butler’s Trumbull branch is a unique exhibit by two Pennsylvania photographers who have spent decades shooting roadside and building-top signs.

See stories on page C4.

Newspaper on display: On display at the Butler’s main branch, in front of the Norman Rockwell painting “Lincoln the Railsplitter” is a copy of the New York Herald dated April 15, 1865. The paper, a gift to the museum and safely encased, reports on the assassination of President Lincoln.

“Lincoln the Railsplitter” depicts a young Lincoln, wielding an ax and a book.

Chorus opens arms: The Stambaugh Chorus is accepting new members. Rehearsals for the spring concerts will take place at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., on Tuesday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and interested persons are asked to attend the practice and then remain afterward for a brief vocal analysis by director Hae Jong Lee.

For information, contact Sarah Everly at everlys1561@gmail.com.

On May 20, Stambaugh Chorus will present Faure’s “Requiem” as part of Giving Voice to Peace II, a joint multigenerational event that will include local school and community choirs.