Each week Editorial and Opinion Editor Jeanne Mariani-Belding hosts The Hot Seat, our opinion-page blog that brings in elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was Georja Skinner, director of the Creative Industries Division for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Here is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session.

Diana: So what's been happening with the film industry here? Anything besides "Lost"? Where does local talent come in?

Georja Skinner: Thank you for your question because you are asking about one of the most important aspects of our creative industries mission — to develop our local film and digital media industries. "Lost" has provided opportunities for our local industry including employment as well as internships as part of the Academy for Creative Media program at the university.

Lan: What exactly is the Creative Industries Division? What do you focus on? What exactly are your goals there?

Skinner: Established in 2003, the Creative Industries Division promotes the growth of, and works as a business advocate for, the film, video and digital media production industry and the diverse artistic and cultural resources of Hawai'i by supporting and implementing programs, projects and activities that result in: 1) an internationally recognized and selfsustaining cinema, television and digital arts industry; and 2) an arts and culture industry that is a vibrant and sustainable sector of Hawai'i's economy.

Hawai'i's creative industries represent a 28,000-strong broad spectrum of talented passionate individuals and companies with the potential to transform our economy, education models, launch new industries and innovate across a number of noncreative based industries.

Lisa: Any new programs on the horizon to get more films here?

Skinner: Yes, on July 1, 2006, the Act 88 refundable tax credit became effective in Hawai'i. The credit, which gives a 15 percent refund on qualified production costs incurred on O'ahu and a 20 percent refund on the Neighbor Islands to eligible productions, immediately had an enormous impact in production in the state. In 2007, the incentive's first full year, every county in the state played host to a major feature film shoot ("Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on the Big Island, "Tropic Thunder" on Kaua'i, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" on Maui, and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" on O'ahu), and that's in addition to a hit TV show in "Lost." Hawai'i boasted a record year in 2007, with more than $200 million in production-related spending, in large part due to Act 88.

Joshua: I understand that you work with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) academies? What's your role there, and can you explain the scope of this program on the state level?

Skinner: STEM learning is a critical area to the development of our innovation economy. I'm excited about these programs in our schools, including FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics and our new initiative Creativity Academies in partnership with UHCC/KCC, DOE/CTE and Industry. We're also working on a curriculum pathway for students in middle and high school to learn STEM skills through the creative applications of animation, game development and creative writing.

Meheroo Jussawalla: To what extent does the budget for Creative Industries cover all your activities and meet the goals of development of tourism in the Islands?

Skinner: Given the trends nationally along with the state's economy it will be a challenge for all of us, which is why we have built strategic partnerships with key creative and visitor industries, reaching out to existing music and creativity programs that complement our tourism initiatives.

Greg: I keep hearing about diversifying the economy, and the push for science and technology education to prepare for higher-paying jobs. But in reality, these are small companies, are they not? Can you tell us how many of these jobs are actually out there?

Skinner: We remain convinced that the future of Hawai'i's business development will be in innovation/science- and technology-related fields.

Hawai'i's economic policies are shifting toward developing its human resources through its innovation capacity. Studies reveal that Hawai'i students experience a sharp decline and interest in math and science, particularly after sixth grade, signaling a need to find new ways to engage young minds in the core skills needed to develop innovative businesses or find highpaying jobs in the 21st century.

Delia: Considering the terrible state of the economy, can you explain why the state should be concerned with creative industries? What exactly is your budget and how many staff do you have? Is this a question of need to have, versus nice to have?

Skinner: Creative industries are the heart and soul of any community, which is why so many states across America and other countries have made the development of their creative sectors a key component of their economic strategies. Creative industries are a set of interlocking sectors that focus on the creation of intellectual property and are at the forefront of innovation and the global economy.

There are also industries that provide creative occupations in noncreative industries, such as construction, retail, healthcare to name a few. What's important to us in the Creative Industries Division is to advocate and accelerate the growth of our core industries in Hawai'i, particularly music, literary arts, visual arts and film and digital media. Today's vast technological changes in how we communicate, receive information and entertainment put Hawai'i at a distinct advantage.

According to a study by DBEDT's Research and Economic Analysis Division in 2005, 28,884 people represent the core of Hawai'i's creative industry sectors, increasing by 7.4 percent since 2002. Our goal is to increase this workforce by assessing Hawai'i's creative industry potential against the global market landscape, activating strategic partnerships in key industries such as music, film, digital media and literary arts, cultivating capacity through education and workforce development initiatives, and accelerating the export of creative goods and services via traditional and new media.

Jo: In terms of films and location, who are we in direct competition with?

Skinner: Globally, we compete with countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil and others. In the U.S. New Mexico and Louisiana have aggressive incentives in place to attract film and television production to their locales, which is why Hawai'i's incentive is critical to our ability to draw major and indie productions.

Debra: With all the focus on STEM in schools, is there something in place to bridge the socio-economic gap between students who have and those who don't?

Skinner: You are bringing up a key focus of why we've initiated the Creativity Academies program to reach a broad spectrum of students and provide access to learning the core skills of science and math and engineering via technology in the creative arts. Projects such as the work with Kapi'olani Community College and Palolo learning center, or the work being done in Wai'anae are addressing these areas you mention.

Kekona: Why not develop our own film industry instead of trying to lure Mainland companies with tax breaks? Wouldn't that bring far more jobs and money here? How many jobs are directly tied to the film industry here now, and what are they?

Skinner: It's important to keep in mind that offshore productions often employ local members of the industry and offer training opportunities. This is vital to the growth and development of our local industry to be able to work with these productions. Our credits also integrate a workforce development component that allows for internships. Also it's important to note that many local independent filmmakers have also taken advantage of the tax credits, which is critical to supporting their development. Workforce in the film, digital media and television industries represent a significant number of the creative sector of our economy. For example, in a recent study of Hawai'i's creative industry, of the 634 payroll establishments motion picture and sound recording were 26 percent of the sector.

Reach Jeanne Mariani-Belding at jmbelding@honoluluadvertiser.com.