Film Office Director

Under the general direction of the Communications Director and in coordination with every division at the Department of Tourism as well as advising agencies of record and external vendors, this position will build Wisconsin’s new film office and programs. The Film Office will significantly impact Tourism’s and the State’s resources, including internal Tourism programs and operations, as well as external organizations and segments of the Wisconsin population. 

This position frequently interacts with film related interest groups and private organizations as well as government officials, who may have conflicting goals and priorities, while also serving as a connector of Wisconsin’s growing film industry and incoming productions. The Film Office Director plays a vital role, facilitating cooperation between these groups to achieve a unified goal and develops the policy strategy and direction. This industry outreach includes meetings with industry leaders, ultimately creating, developing and executing an industry communication strategy. It includes building and maintaining a website created by an agency of record that will serve as a digital home to Wisconsin film industry professionals and TV/film producers. The ability to connect with multiple stakeholders utilizing strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to manage agencies of record are necessary to accomplish these tasks. 

This position will create and manage the film tax incentive program. This includes, but is not limited to, advising the Secretary’s Office on developing, modifying and analyzing administrative code in alignment with Wisconsin state law, drafting and managing the film tax credit application process, pre-authorization of the credits, and frequent coordination and communication with the Department of Revenue, Department of Administration and other applicable state agencies. This will require strong communication with the Secretary, as well as attention to accounting detail and management of $5 million in annual tax incentives and public disclosure of credits to the state legislature as required by law.  

The Film Office Director serves as the Department lead by coordinating and executing all facets of a film office, managing an agency of record’s work, from pitch to production, that will help bring film and television productions into Wisconsin. Experience recruiting film productions and economic development will be essential in this position. In addition to bringing in new productions, managing the tax incentives and serving as an industry hub, this office will liaise with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s other offices and bureaus to capitalize on fan excitement over these productions by generating as many set-jetting leisure travelers as possible. 

Qualifications

Qualified candidates will have work experience in each of the following: 

• Economic development or marketing experience
• Contract management experience
• Program management experience that involves planning for project teams from start to finish, including managing a project plan and communications strategies
• Partner relationship management experience with a variety of industry stakeholders (private business, state and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations) requiring strong, adaptive internal and external communication in written and verbal formats

In addition to the above, more than qualified applicants will also have work experience with at least one of the following:

• Experience working with or for a film promotion office OR experience in the Film industry, such as production, marketing or business administration of motion pictures and/or television shows. 
• Administrative fiscal management and budget development experience
• Policy development and analysis experience. 
• Program development and evaluation experience such as developing program criteria and materials, evaluation frameworks, collecting data and assessing program outcomes, as well as analyzing program issues and making recommendations for improvement
• Experience managing a marketing or public relations contractor(s) that developed marketing and sales strategies and content
• Coalition building experience at the national, state or regional level
• Experience using economic impact data to strategize and deliver tools and resources to partners and inform agency-wide programs

This position’s headquarters is the Department of Tourism’s Madison office and will have the option of working remotely up to 85%. The position infrequently requires some evening and weekend travel. This schedule may change based on training or operational needs. Employees are required to come into the office for in-person collaboration meetings, often occurring on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Employees will be required to report to the Madison office on their first day of employment and work in the office two days per week for the first three months of employment. High-speed internet access is required to meet the needs of remote work.  

Applicant materials are due by 11:59pm Sunday, November 2, 2025.