Youngstown council approves $2M loan for company to film movie here

YOUNGSTOWN — City council agreed tonight to loan up to $2 million to a Los Angeles production company to film a movie in Youngstown and the surrounding area.

The proposal to loan the money still needs approval from the city’s board of control.

The loan requires the filmmakers of “Them That Follow,” the working title of the movie, to guarantee the loan with an irrevocable letter of credit from an accredited bank, said T. Sharon Woodberry, the city’s director of community planning and economic development. The loan includes 0.25 percent interest and must be repaid in 18 months.

G-Base Entertainment and Amasia Entertainment LLC, film production companies based in Los Angeles, formed Them That Follow LLC to oversee the movie, which is a coming-of-age thriller set in Appalachia.

Filming would start in the fall with an estimated 53 production days, Woodberry said.

For the complete story, read Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.