2021 turned out to be a record-breaking year for North Carolina in film and TV production. Climbing to $409 million, 2021 smashed the previous record from 2012, the year Ironman 3 filmed in Wilmington. Back then, the state racked up $377 million in spending from film and TV productions – just before falling off a cliff when state legislators pulled the plug on film incentives as tax rebates. Three years later, state legislators dealt another major blow: they passed HB2, colloquially known as The Bathroom Bill, which, among other controversial elements, required people to use restrooms matching their birth gender.
Film and TV producers, along with many other touring artists, musicians, and athletes, canceled contracts with North Carolina venues and vendors. Professional crew people and actors who made Wilmington their home left the state in droves for film-friendlier cities. Atlanta and New Orleans welcomed the incoming talent stream that flowed from Wilmington.
But people are coming back. The 2021 bonanza appears to indicate a nice recovery for North Carolina from what were widely viewed in the arts world as catastrophic economic decisions.
On this episode of CoastLine, as part of the North Carolina Filmmakers Series, we meet two people who make their living in front of the camera -- actors who live in Wilmington. Allie McCulloch and Nick Basta are both raising children here, and they both landed roles in the 2020 film, The Glorias, starring Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander.
Allie McCulloch is enjoying her third season on the FOX series, The Resident, as OB / GYN Gabbi Johnson. You can also see her in The Walking Dead -- in which she has a death scene by decapitation. She’s in Marvel's The Punisher, Come Sunday for Netflix, and NCIS: New Orleans. She and her husband, Ron Fallica, also own and operate Actor’s Arsenal, a Wilmington studio providing classes and other services for professional TV and film actors. She plays Brenda Feigen in The Glorias.
Among Nick Basta’s most recent credits: the locally-shot Florida Man, the new NBC hit Endgame, and he had a recurring role in The Staircase, an HBO mini-series starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette. In The Glorias, he plays the Editor of New York Magazine.
The North Carolina Filmmakers Series is offering a free screening of The Glorias Sunday, March 20th, 2022 at 4 pm at The Pointe 14in Wilmington. Allie and Nick will participate in a Q and A after the film.
Resources:
https://www.actorsarsenal.com/
Wilmington Regional Film Office
http://www.wilmingtonfilm.com/
https://euescreengems.com/wilmington-nc-studios/
