Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Caito.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Angela. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 1991, when I was 20 years old, I started writing for clients, including local businesses that needed content creation for brochures, ads and more. By 1993 I was performing in various plays in Savannah, GA and Gainesville, FL and was introduced to the film industry through friends in the industry.
I fell in love with the industry and while I worked as an actor for a very brief time, my interests were always rooted in writing, locations, scouting, and production coordination. I continued working in the writing industry and still work in it today, writing for clients around the globe as well as writing screenplays for myself and other filmmakers.
In 2018, I decided that I wanted to do something to help local entertainment industry professionals, as well as small businesses, profit from the entertainment industry in Northeast Tennessee. I was driving with my then ten-year-old daughter and she made a comment to me to say that by the time she graduated high school, the small town we were driving through would be a ghost town and she would have to move away. I then spoke to a few business associates who work with college students in the Radio, television and film department and learned that upon graduation from these programs, nearly 80% of grads moved away to find work in the industry. I wanted to do something to help our college grads stay home, families thrive and the industry grows and develops locally.
This is how the Northeast Tennessee Entertainment Alliance (NETEA) was born. By early 2019, we had a strong board of directors at NETEA and we had gained 501(c)3 nonprofit status. We have several partnerships in the local community with great organizations, hotels, small businesses and more and we are bringing more film and television production to this area of the State of Tennessee than ever before.
We have worked with production teams from New York, Los Angeles, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and more and we hope to continue bringing more. This means that many of our local industry professionals have found lucrative work on various film and television productions locally. We have helped bring business to local restaurants, catering businesses, hotels, coffee shops, carpenters and even furniture stores through the film industry.
On a personal level, I work as writer and being able to create through writing is my passion. I also work as a production coordinator and I help production companies with locations, permitting for production shoots, casting and crew referrals to work on productions. I also coordinate bi-monthly meet and greets for local industry professionals, local business owners and others who want to learn more about the entertainment industry. Northeast Tennessee Entertainment Allinace does not strictly focus only on film! We also strive to bring more music, interactive digital media, and multimedia production to the local region
The mission of the Northeast Tennessee Entertainment Alliance is:
To strengthen our economy by promoting Northeast Tennessee as an outstanding place for film, music, interactive digital media, and multimedia productions. Working together with like-minded individuals and organizations, our goal is to build a community where industry professionals and local business owners, individuals, and their families can prosper from opportunities built by the entertainment industry.
I am so happy to help others in the industry and to be able to be a resource for filmmakers and others who want to film or otherwise create in Northeast Tennessee. For me, it not only helps build revenue and a stronger tax base for the community that I live in but as a single mom and foster parent, it helps to build a brighter future for my own children and for the children of others who live and work here.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Getting to where I am today has not been a smooth road at all. As with anything worthwhile, there have been roadblocks along the way but each roadblock has been a great lesson learned and has pushed me to work even harder at achieving the results that I wanted.
I have dealt with many things, including having to find ways to manage my time effectively. As a parent, I have teens who are running in four different directions at any given time. Doctor’s appointments, sports, dance, school and more keep any parent busy.
Couple a family life with a writing career that pays the bills as well as working to help production companies scout the locations they need, get the permits or permission from business owners and property owners to film, schedule catering services, help find crew or cast and also attend school full time. Did I mention that I am also enrolled in the Digital Cinematography program at Full Sail University? I will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography in 2021 and so far, even with my hectic schedule, I manage to maintain close to a 4.0 GPA.
There may be many struggles, but once you reach the top of the mountain, the view is beautiful below!
Northeast Tennessee Entertainment Alliance – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Northeast Tennessee Entertainment Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the State of Tennessee. We work with large and small film, music, interactive digital media, multimedia production companies, as well as actors, models, contractors, and local business and government entities to help build entertainment production throughout Northeast Tennessee.
I am personally proud of how we have worked hard to build our presence locally in order to step up and help our local industry professionals. Since last year we have helped local crew members get hired on by nine decent film and television productions right here in our own backyard.
What sets us apart from others is that we are the only entertainment commision in Northeast Tennessee and we are the only organization that the Tennessee Entertainment Commission refers large film productions to in our region of the state. Another thing that sets us apart is that we are working for others rather than ourselves. Yes, everyone on our board of directors works in the entertainment industry in some capacity and we are all listed in our crew directory, but when we get a call for a production that needs crew or talent, our goal is to make sure that production has what they need and for me personally, there is no greater joy than to be able to call a local crew member and verify their availability and then refer them to a production. Even better is when we get a thank you from a crew member who has been brought on to work on a production.
When that happens, I know I am doing the work that I set out to do. We all know people who shout their own praises and proclaim their own glory, but for us, to see the industry professionals able to find work to provide for their families and continue to work in their chosen field is really what this is all about.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, success is being able to work hard and feel good about the work that I do. Sure, money is always nice, but I love to create and when I see that someone is happy with my work, likes a screenplay that I wrote, films at a location that I secured for them or has ample crew for their production, that is true success to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.netfilmalliance.org/
- Phone: 423-213-8591
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelacaito/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelacaitowriting/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaCaito
- Other: http://writingmind.com/
Image Credit:
Angela Caito
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