The Uncommon Bob Brown

Bob Brown Producer and Managing Partner of Charity Island Pictures is a self proclaimed “hometown guy” from Farmington Michigan.  When first introduced to Jeff Daniels, his business partner in their production company Purple Rose Films, Jeff said “hey I know you.”  Bob replied “no we never met.”  ”Well I know your name” replied Jeff.  “There’s got to be a dozen of me walking around Chelsea” joked Bob.

Despite his Michigan roots and common name, Brown is everything but common in Michigan’s evolving Film Industry.  As managing partner with Daniels in Purple Rose Films, Brown produced Escanaba in da Moonlight, one of the highest grossing independent films in 2001, and Super Sucker, winner of HBO’s Comedy Arts festival in 2002.  Brown knows first hand that Michigan is a great place for film making. Michigan people are “cooperative, receptive and enthusiastic” when a film is being produced in their community.

While on location shooting Escanaba in the Moonlight, the production spent 1 Million in Delta County, and while shooting Super Sucker in Jackson County, the production spent 2 Million.  Both communities eagerly embraced the production companies and were extremely supportive and generous to the films.  The business community of Escanaba actually donated over $125,000 to the production, while Jackson businesses contributed $350,000.  “Michigan is a film friendly state so communities embrace you.  The work force is second to none from a work ethic and capability perspective.  They’ll give you blood if you ask for it, and the talent is here.  It’s just that we haven’t had the opportunity.”

When Jeff Daniels decided to leave movie production and return to acting in 2003, Bob was faced with the decision of whether to remain in Michigan film production. Bob’s concern for the overall economic viability of Michigan and love of story telling ultimately made the decision easy.  In 2003, Bob began the work that resulted in the Michigan Motion Pictures Incentives Act.

Bob shared his work with legislator Bill Huizenga, who listened, and eventually created and guided the legislation through the system.  The bill easily cleared the House of Representatives in 2005.  The bill then “languished in the Senate for two years.”  It was just prior to Christmas in 2006 when Bob received the call from Lansing, the 2005 legislation passed out of the Senate and the Governor agreed to sign it..  Bob was then hired by the State of Michigan to do a baseline study to compare Michigan’s then outdated incentives to the rest of the country and most importantly, provide the recommendations necessary to modify Michigan’s plan to become “the best” in the country – Governor Granholm’s request.

On being the best, Bob envisioned that an aggressive tax incentive backed by state money, would lead to “flooding the market with new projects.  When new projects come, the work follows.  The people follow the work and the population grows as a result of the work.  We knew downhill with the wind we had 2.5 crew bases deep in Michigan at that time.”

While Michigan’s crew depth has almost doubled since passage of the Act in Bob’s estimation, the infrastructure has not yet evolved to the level necessary to support the 250 Million dollar Industry projected by Bob for 2009 – also double that of the past 12 months.  With the recent migration of population away from Michigan and consequent erosion of tax base, the State has been unable to fund elements of the project originally intended including production loans and needed workforce training.  There are “not enough people in the state left to support the infrastructure we have created.  If we don’t start attracting people to come back to the state, or retaining the people who are here we are literally going to go out of business.”

According to Bob “there are lots of issues still being addressed.  Regardless progress is being made, and we are getting better at doing the job that we need to do -- and I know that the legislation is safe as long as Governor Granholm is in office.”

Fortunately Michigan is a great place to live as well, and visitors are often pleasantly surprised. Bob states “I know 8 or 10 people that have relocated from LA in the past 12 months.  When an LA film crew arrives in Michigan the first thing they say is wow! I never thought Michigan was like this.  The second thing they say is I could buy that 6000 sq foot home on a lake for the same price as my 900 sq ft bungalow in Hancock Park.  Then they ask what am I doing there when I could be here?

With a long history of acquiring private equity, Bob explained that funding is more difficult to obtain today then he has ever seen.  The broad economic slowdown has reduced investor appetite for risk, and while movies can produce high returns, investors are seeking guarantees.  The independent film industry can mitigate risk, but it doesn’t eliminate it.

Sharing his experience Bob exclaimed: “I’ve raised money in the private equity markets for 25 years and I can count on my hand the times that the phone has rung.  People ask me all the time how do you raise money.   There’s the old adage: if you don’t A S K you don’t G E T.  But you have to A S K and people don’t want to ask.  In Escanaba in da Moonlight I asked 250 investors to get 29.  What people say is I don’t have 250 people to ask.  Well neither did I!  The difference between you and I is I don’t stop and you do.”

Bob is excited about his upcoming production The Bass Master which will be filmed entirely in Michigan.  With his strong desire to provide jobs, Bob will do his best to hire Michigan first.  With all the additional projects coming to Michigan though, most of his guys may be already working.  “That’s a good thing though.  That was the plan all along.  I’ll simply go back to the well and look for the talent cause I know it’s here!”   Unlike his name, Bob Brown’s new film is sure to be anything but common.

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