GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO WTAE. LISTEN, I’M SHANNON PERRINE. PITTSBURGH HAS HAD ITS FAIR SHARE OF BIG SCREEN APPEARANCES. PRODUCTIONS HAVE BEEN STRATEGIC IN CHOOSING THE STEEL CITY AND THERE’S WORK HAPPENING TO MAKE SURE THE CREWS KEEP COMING. TODAY, WE TAKE YOU BEHIND BEHIND THE SCENES OF HOLLYWOOD ON THE MODERN. THEY’RE COMING TO GET YOU. BARBARA LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION. WAIT A MINUTE. WE WAIT A MINUTE. FROM ICONIC CLASSICS. HELLO. WHAT’S YOUR NAME? OTTO TEARJERKERS. PITTSBURGH IS NO STRANGER TO THE FILM INDUSTRY. SAY HI, TOM. SAY HI. WE’VE ENJOYED SOME CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS AND SEEN OUR FAVORITE LANDMARKS IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT. ALL WHILE THE STEEL CITY HAS STOLEN HEARTS. I WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK TO PITTSBURGH THIS MORNING. WE TALK WITH ACTOR MICHAEL NOURI, WHO STARRED IN FLASHDANCE AS HE SHARES THE IMPACT OUR CITY LEFT ON HIM. PLUS, THE KEY TO WHY WE DO ALL THESE THINGS. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. IT’S CALLED SHOWBIZ FOR A REASON. THE DIRECTOR OF PITTSBURGH’S FILM OFFICE EXPLAINS HOW WE CAN CASH IN ON MORE OPPORTUNITIES. AND WE JUST BLOW THEM AWAY WITH WITH THE TALENT AND THE CREW AND THE LOCATIONS AND THE FRIENDLINESS OF THE CITY. PUTTING PITTSBURGHERS ON THE BIG SCREEN, HOW THESE CASTING DIRECTORS ARE HELPING MAKE DREAMS A REALITY. IT’S BEEN 40 YEARS SINCE THE 1983 MOVIE FLASHDANCE PUT PITTSBURGH ON THE MAP AS A FILMING LOCATION. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS MOVIES EVER TO BE SET IN OUR AREA. ACTOR MICHAEL NOURI, WHO PLAYED NICK HURLEY, SAYS THAT TIME HERE CHANGED HIS LIFE. DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST MOMENTS ARRIVING? I MEAN, NOT ONLY IS THIS MOVIE SET IN PITTSBURGH, IT’S SHOT MOST OF IT IN PITTSBURGH ARE A LOT OF IT. YOU REMEMBER, YOU HAVE SOME MEMORIES OF BEING HERE AND AND SHOOTING THOSE SCENES HERE. SURE. I REMEMBER THE STEEL FACTORY. I REMEMBER THE PIZZA. PIZZA. DO YOU DO YOU REMEMBER WHICH PIZZA? I DON’T REMEMBER WHICH PIZZA. BUT I REMEMBER. I HAD SOME REALLY GOOD ITALIAN FOOD. THE PIZZA WAS MEMORABLE. YEAH. WHEN YOU THINK OF HOW THE MOVIE WAS RECEIVED AND HOW THAT MOVIE DID, IT FEELS FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS A PITTSBURGH SORT OF LIKE A CULTURAL PHENOMENA. JOHN DOES IT FEEL THAT WAY TO YOU? OH, YES. YEAH, IT DOES. I THINK IT WAS FOR FOR EVERYBODY. I THINK THAT’S WHAT THE WHY IT HAD SUCH IMPACT ON IN TERMS OF FASHION, THE MUSIC, THE DANCE, THE BREAKDANCING, SO ON ON THOSE LEVELS, IT REALLY HAD HAD A GREAT CULTURAL IMPACT. YEAH. AND IN SO MANY WAYS THE IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THAT I REMEMBER OF THIS SORT OF ERA OF FEATURE FILM THAT A CITY WAS A CHARACTER. DID YOU GET A SENSE THAT PITTSBURGH PLAYED A PART AS NOT JUST A SETTING, BUT AS A CHARACTER? ABSOLUTELY. FROM THE OPENING, FROM THE OPENING SCENE WITH THE THE TITLE FLASHED ACROSS THE SCREEN AND ALEX BEING ON HER BICYCLE, GOING ACROSS THE BRIDGE, GOING INTO TOWN. PITTSBURGH DEFINITELY WAS. IT WAS A CHARACTER IN THE IN THE FILM AND YOU PLAY A STEEL BARON OF SORTS THE OWNER OF A STEEL MILL, THE CEO, THE BOSS OF THIS THIS STEEL MILL AND THAT INDUSTRY WAS JUST REALLY STARTING TO COLLAPSE AT THAT TIME. AND YOU KNOW WHAT ARE BESIDES PIZZA AND THE STEEL MILLS. DID YOU GET A SENSE DID YOU GET TO MEET PITTSBURGHERS AND CREW WHEN YOU WERE HERE? DID YOU GET A SENSE OF WHAT PITTSBURGH WAS REALLY LIKE? NO, I DIDN’T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE WERE WORKING MOST OF THE TIME. YEAH, BUT I JUST HAD A REALLY GOOD VIBE THERE. IT WAS. IT WAS A REALLY WARM FEELING. AND OF COURSE, PITTSBURGH STEELERS, THE, YOU KNOW, I WAS A FAN ITS INTERESTING THAT YOU’VE BEEN SO BUSY LATELY. YOU’RE QUITE THE SCOUNDREL IN YELLOWSTONE. I’M NOT SURE IF I’VE FORGIVEN YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE IN THAT PRODUCTION, BUT TELL ME HOW FLASHDANCE INFLUENCED YOUR WHOLE CAREER. WELL, I HAD BEEN ACTING PROFESSIONALLY FOR 15 YEARS. I STARTED IN 1969 WITH A MOVIE CALLED GOODBYE COLUMBUS. SO WHEN FLASHDANCE CAME ALONG, IT WAS CERTAINLY THE BIGGEST, MOST IMPACTFUL MOVIE THAT I HAD DONE, AND IT SHRANK THE WORLD. WHEN YOU’RE PART OF SOMETHING THAT HAS SUCH GLOBAL APPEAL, WE TOURED AROUND THE WORLD PROMOTING THE MOVIE AND WHEREVER WE WENT, THERE WERE KIDS WITH OFF THE SHOULDER SWEATSHIRTS AND LEGWARMERS. IT WAS REALLY DELIGHTFUL TO TO EXPERIENCE THE THE IMPACT OF THE MOVIE. YEAH, YOU DID PRESS AROUND THE WORLD. YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT. AS FAR AS FAR AS AN ACTOR IN YOUR ACTING LIFE AND WHO YOU ARE AS AN ACTOR, DOES THAT MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE STILL RESONATE? ABSOLUTELY. YEAH, SURE. IT’S PEOPLE REMEMBER ME FOR THAT AND AND I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, IF MY NAME IS KIND OF A HYPHENATE, YOU KNOW, MICHAEL FLASHDANCE STORY, I DON’T I’M PROUD OF HAVING BEEN PART OF SOMETHING THAT MADE PEOPLE FEEL SO GOOD THAT ON THE OPENING IN CALIFORNIA, IN LOS ANGELES, I WAS SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE IN THE BALCONY. AND WHEN THE FINAL CREDITS ROLLED, THERE WAS A STANDING OVATION. AND I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE FOR A MOVIE. AND, YOU KNOW, SO IT WAS IT IT’S AND TO THIS DAY, PEOPLE REMEMBER ME FOR THAT. MOST MOST PROMINENTLY BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT THAT THAT HAD HAD. WOULD YOU EVER WANT TO COME BACK AND SHOOT ANOTHER PRODUCTION IN PITTSBURGH? IN A HEARTBEAT. I WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK TO PITTSBURGH. STILL AHEAD, THE FILM INDUSTRY HAS ITS PLACE AND IT NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR WHAT WE’RE BRINGING TO THE TABLE, KEEPING UP WITH THE COMPETITION AND HOW PITTSBURGH CAN BECOME THE BACKDROP FOR MORE BLOCKBUSTERS. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE LISTENS. THE PITTSBURGH FILM OFFICE WORKS TO BRING FILM PRODUCTION PROJECTS TO OUR AREA. THE OFFICE DIRECTOR SAYS SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA IS READY FOR ITS CLOSE UP, BUT IT ISN’T ALWAYS THAT EASY. WE’RE SO THRILLED TO HAVE DON KEYSER HERE WITH US SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DIRECTOR? EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PITTSBURGH FILM OFFICE. SEPTEMBER WILL BE 29 YEARS. 29 YEARS IS A LONG TIME TO BE SHEPHERDING PRODUCTIONS IN PITTSBURGH. HOW DOES RIGHT NOW 2023 COMPARE TO 30 YEARS AGO? OH, IT’S NIGHT AND DAY. YOU KNOW, BACK WHEN I GOT HERE, WE WERE REALLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE ONE, MAYBE TWO PROJECTS A YEAR, 20, 21. WE HAD 11 PROJECTS FILM IN PITTSBURGH BROUGHT WITH IT $335 MILLION OF NEW MONEY TO THIS REGION’S ECONOMY, WHICH IS THE KEY TO WHY WE DO ALL THESE THINGS. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. YEAH, IT’S A GREAT INDUSTRY, BUT GOING FROM 1 TO 2 A YEAR TO HOLDING 11 AND NOW THE FUN THING IS AND I SAY THIS IN A NICE WAY, BUT PEOPLE CALL US NOW. WE DON’T REALLY HAVE TO CALL THEM AS MUCH ANYMORE. THEY WANT TO BE IN PITTSBURGH. THEY WANT TO BE IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. WHY? BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST CREW IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY THAT LIVE AND WORK HERE. WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST LOCATIONS. YOU CAN LOOK LIKE ANYTHING IN THE WORLD HERE. WE DON’T HAVE A BEACH OR A DESERT. WE SEND YOU UP TO ERIE FOR THAT. BEST CREW, BEST LOCATIONS. AND WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD FILM TAX CREDIT PROGRAM. IT NEEDS TO BE BETTER. WE HAVEN’T KEPT PACE WITH OUR COMPETITION, BUT WE’RE PRETTY GOOD. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE CREW. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE, THE HUMAN BEINGS WHO MAKE MOVIES HERE IN PITTSBURGH, WHO LIVE IN PITTSBURGH. WHAT MAKES THEM SO GREAT WELL, THEY’RE INCREDIBLY TALENTED AND NOW THEY’RE VERY EXPERIENCED. WE’VE BEEN MAKING MOVIES HERE REALLY SINCE 1968. WE CREDIT NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD WITH WHAT STARTED THE COMMERCIAL SIDE OF THE FILM BUSINESS. RIGHT. BECAUSE WE’VE MADE OTHER FILMS HERE OVER THE PAST. AND IT REALLY GOES BACK TO 1914 WITH THE PERILS OF PAULINE, WHICH WAS A SILENT MOVIE GIRL ON THE RAILROAD TRACK SCREAMING. WE THINK SHE’S SCREAMING. WHO KNOWS? BECAUSE SILENT MOVIE, RIGHT? BUT NEITHER LIVING DEAD REALLY KICKED IT OFF WITH HER AS A PRODUCER. GEORGE ROMERO, OF COURSE, DIRECTING. THEY WERE PARTNERS IN IMAGE TEN AND REALLY BROUGHT THAT SHOW TO LIFE AND BROUGHT WITH IT SO MANY LOCAL CREW. AND IT’S JUST GROWN AND GROWN AND GROWN. YOU TIE THAT TO THE PHILANTHROPY THAT CREATED THE THEATERS AND ALL THAT COMMUNITY THEATER WORK THAT TOOK PLACE. SO THERE WAS MORE CREW BEING TRAINED. WE WERE ABLE TO PROFESSIONALIZE IT, UNIONIZE IT. IN 1994, CONTINUE THAT WORKFORCE TRAINING FOR THE LOCAL PEOPLE. WE HAVE CLOSE TO 20,000 PEOPLE STATEWIDE. THERE’S CLOSE TO 10,000 HERE IN SOUTHWESTERN PA THAT WORK SOME OR FULL TIME IN THIS INDUSTRY. AND WE’RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRAINING MORE BECAUSE THERE’S MORE JOBS AVAILABLE. YOU SAID WE DO TURN PEOPLE AWAY KIND OF FOR THE WRONG REASONS, RIGHT? WE DO TURN PEOPLE AWAY. WE TURN WORK AWAY ALL THE TIME. THE MOMENT WE RUN OUT OF FILM TAX CREDITS, IT’S CURRENTLY FUNDED AT $100 MILLION A YEAR, WHICH TO YOU AND I SOUNDS LIKE A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY. BUT IF YOU FIGURE MOST STREAMING SHOWS ARE BUDGETED BETWEEN 80 TO 120, EVEN $150 MILLION, OUR TAX CREDIT PROGRAM PROVIDES A 25% TAX CREDIT THAT’S FOR SHOWS. IT’S FIVE SHOWS. THE FUNDING GOES REALLY QUICK. IT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT BRINGS THE MONEY INTO THE REGION’S ECONOMY. I TOLD YOU IN 2021 IT WAS OVER $335 MILLION. WE’RE TYPICALLY AT ABOUT $150 MILLION. YOU ASK ABOUT GEORGIA. GEORGIA HAS AN UNCAPPED 30% TAX CREDIT. THEY NEVER RAN OUT OF MONEY. THE BUSINESS WE HAD IN 2021 WAS $335 MILLION. THE BUSINESS GEORGIA HAD IN 2021 WAS 6.6 BILLION WITH A B DOLLARS. WHAT HAPPENED IN GEORGIA WAS THE GOVERNOR UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS INDUSTRY. THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING FURTHER THEIR ECONOMIC SECTOR, AND THEY PUT MONEY BEHIND IT. THEY PUT AN UNCAPPED TAX CREDIT. THEY PUT FUNDING TOWARDS BUILDING SOUNDSTAGES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. THEY PUT MONEY TO WORKFORCE TRAINING. THEY PUT MONEY TO EDUCATION. SO THERE’S PROGRAMS GOING K THROUGH 12 AND INTO COLLEGE THAT ARE EDUCATING OUR YOUTH ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY AS A PLACE THEY CAN GO TO WORK THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY REQUIRE A COLLEGE DEGREE. I’M GOING TO ASK YOU SOMETHING REALLY CONTROVERSIAL. OKAY. I THINK OF THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT AND THE TAX INCENTIVES THAT THAT REALLY LARGE PETROCHEMICAL FOR $1 BILLION. RIGHT. HOW DOES THAT SIT WITH YOU? WELL, I WAS REALLY WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED, I WAS VERY UPSET BECAUSE HOW DID THEY GET $1 BILLION? AND WE HADN’T FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO THIS. WE HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT. WE HAVE SUPPORT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE. WE HAVE SUPPORT ALL THROUGH HARRISBURG AND I FEEL LIKE WE KEEP TELLING THE STORY AND ONE DAY IT’S GOING TO CLICK GOVERNOR SHAPIRO HAS COMMITTED TO INCREASING THIS FILM TAX CREDIT. GOVERNOR SHAPIRO HAS COMMITTED HIS SUPPORT TO THIS INDUSTRY. AND WE REALLY BELIEVE THIS YEAR WE’RE GOING TO SEE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. SO IF OTHER INDUSTRIES ARE PROVIDING JOBS AND PROVIDING ECONOMIC MONEY AND BRINGING NEW MONEY INTO THIS REGION’S ECONOMY, IT’S ALL GREAT. WE ALL CAN’T BE IN ONE BOX. SO THE SHELL CRACKER HAS ITS PLACE. BUT THE FILM INDUSTRY HAS ITS PLACE AND IT NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR WHAT WE’RE BRINGING TO THE TABLE. THESE ARE JOBS. THESE ARE UNION FREE, FAMILY SUSTAINING JOBS THAT CAN PUT EVERYBODY TO WORK. AND WE JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT OF HELP TO STAY COMPETITIVE AND KEEP THAT WORK COMING IN. THERE ARE PEOPLE WATCHING RIGHT NOW WHO THINK EITHER I NEED A JOB OR MY KID IS GOING TO NEED A JOB. YOU KNOW, COULD I END UP IN THIS INDUSTRY AND REALLY KEEP A ROOF OVER MY HEAD? ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, THESE JOBS START AT ABOUT $24 AN HOUR WITH FULL BENEFITS. AND OUR WEBSITE, PG FILMS, WILL HAVE THE NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP. WE’RE STILL REALLY SMALL, SO WE’VE DONE THREE CLASSES. WE’LL DO THREE MORE HERE PRETTY QUICKLY. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE’RE BUILDING SOUNDSTAGES IN RANKIN AND WE CHOSE THAT SITE FOR WHERE IT’S LOCATED. BUT THE ABILITY TO DRAW FROM THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS IS GOING TO BE KEY FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE THERE WHEN IT ACTUALLY GETS UP AND RUNNING. THE GROUNDBREAKING ON THE STAGE SHOULD HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 8 TO 12 WEEKS AND WE’RE SUPER EXCITED. IT’LL BE THE FIRST PURPOSE BUILT SOUNDSTAGE BUILT IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND IT’S ABOUT AGAIN GROWING THIS VIABLE ECONOMIC SECTOR, PROVIDING JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE. AND YEAH, IT’S KIND OF A FUN WAY TO DO IT. AT THE SAME TIME, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT CARRY FURNACES, RIGHT? YEAH. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE IN PITTSBURGH, IT’S SORT OF CRYSTALLIZED RIGHT THERE. AND RANKIN IS THAT TOO ON THE NOSE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS THIS WAS PART OF THE STEEL INDUSTRY IN PITTSBURGH’S PAST AND ITS PRESENT. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE? BUT IT’S WHERE THE FUTURE IS HEADED AS WELL. AND WE’RE SO GRATEFUL TO BE AT THAT LOCATION, WHICH HAS BEEN OWNED BY ALLEGHENY COUNTY. OUR PARTNER IS OUR IDC, THE REGIONAL INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. THEY’VE BEEN WALKING IN LOCKSTEP WITH THE FILM OFFICE FOR THE LAST 11 YEARS TO FINALLY GET THIS THING UP AND RUNNING AND IT’S GOING TO GO AND YES, YOU CAN POINT TO THE PAST AND IT REALLY IS POINTING TOWARDS THE FUTURE BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING INTO THE REGION BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN THE STREAMING COMPANIES, THE INSATIABLE NEED FOR CONTENT THAT IS REQUIRED EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SIT ON THEIR COUCH AND SCROLL THROUGH WHAT THEY’RE WATCHING WHEN, OF COURSE THEY’RE NOT WATCHING. WTAE, BUT THERE’S A NEED AND WE’RE ABLE TO FILL IT WITH BOTH THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE HERE AVAILABLE, THE NEW PEOPLE WE’RE TRAINING. AND THEN OF COURSE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE WE’RE BUILDING STILL AHEAD. I THINK IT REALLY WE JUST PUT PITTSBURGH ON THE MAP FROM THE STEEL CITY TO THE BIG SCREEN, HOW TWO LOCAL CASTING DIRECTORS ARE CREATING MOVIE MAGIC IN OUR BACKYARD. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE. LISTEN, YOU CANNOT HAVE A MOVIE WITHOUT COMPELLING CHARACTERS. WE TALKED WITH CASTING DIRECTORS DONNA BELICHICK AND NANCY MOSSER, WHO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN TRACKING DOWN TALENT. TWO BIG NAMES IN PITTSBURGH. WHEN YOU THINK OF FILM, I THINK OF BOTH OF YOU. I’M GOING TO START WITH YOU, DONNA, BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS. YOU ARE A CASTING DIRECTOR. HOW DID YOU START DOING THAT WORK? 40 YEARS AGO, I WORKED FOR A PRODUCTION COMPANY CALLED TPC START AS A RECEPTIONIST, WENT INTO OPERATIONS, BECAME A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT, MAKE A PERSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND DID THAT FOR A FEW YEARS. AND THEN THE PRODUCTION MANAGE CAME TO ME AND SAID, WE WANT TO BRING CASTING IN-HOUSE INSTEAD OF HIRING FREELANCERS AND WE WANT YOU TO BE THE CASTING DIRECTOR. I WAS LIKE, WHAT? I WAS A KID, YOU KNOW, AND I DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. BUT IT SOUNDED GOOD. SO I JUST THEY THREW ME IN THROUGH THE CAST, FLASHDANCE. I DID SO YOU TALK ABOUT BEING A KID. THAT’S A MAJOR FEATURE. AND YOUPUT THE TALENT IN PLACE, RIGHT? I MEAN, JUST TO BE CLEAR, WE DON’T CAST THE LEADS. WE CAST THE ROLES THAT THE PRODUCERS WANT TO PICK UP LOCALLY OR REGIONALLY. OKAY. SO HOW MANY DEALS, RIGHT? HOW MANY PEOPLE WAS THAT ON FLASHDANCE? I JUST SAW IT RECENTLY. I JUST SAW IT. YEAH, PROBABLY A DOZEN, MAYBE MORE. YEAH. AND I ACTUALLY EVEN DID THE EXTRAS ON THAT ONE. YEAH. WHICH WAS INSANE. IT WAS JUST INSANE. WHY WAS IT SO HARD? BECAUSE I NEEDED REAL BALLET DANCERS. I NEEDED REAL WELDERS BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT TO GIVE REGULAR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WELDING EQUIPMENT. SO I HAD TO GET REAL WELDERS AND IT WAS IT WAS INSANE. IT WAS INSANE, BUT IT WAS FUN. BUT YOU DID IT. IT WAS FUN. YEAH. AND THE I WAS ALREADY I HAD ALREADY LEFT TPC AND I HAD JUST OPENED MY DOORS SIX WEEKS AGO. AND THE CALL TO DO FLASHDANCE CAME IN. I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE HEADSHOTS AND RESUMES ON FILE. I HAD INDEX CARDS WITH PEOPLE’S NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS. I CAST THAT FILM FROM INDEX CARDS. BUT THOSE INDEX CARDS OF PITTSBURGH, RIGHT, OF PEOPLE, YOU YOU KNEW WHO THEY WERE. I’VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, CASTING THEM IN COMMERCIALS AND INDUSTRIALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WHAT DID THE PRODUCTION OF FLASHDANCE MEAN FOR PITTSBURGH? I THINK IT REALLY JUST JUST PUT PITTSBURGH ON THE MAP. I REMEMBER PEOPLE FROM TELEVISION STATIONS CALLING ME AND SAYING, HOW DID WE NOT KNOW THAT THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, HERE? BECAUSE WHEN THE SCRIPT WHEN I GOT THE SCRIPT, IT SEEMED LIKE KIND OF A MOVIE. AND IT DID. AND THEY THEY KEPT REWRITING IT AND REWRITING IT. AND ADRIAN LYNE JUST DID. HE JUST LIKE IT WAS A MIRACLE WHAT HE DID WITH IT, YOU KNOW, HE HAD SUCH A VISION AND IT IT JUST EXPLODED AND EVERYBODY WENT CRAZY. YEAH, JUST WENT CRAZY. I ALWAYS SAY THAT PITTSBURGH HAS ALWAYS BENEFITED FROM LOW EXPECTATIONS PEOPLE. NOW PITTSBURGH ESPECIALLY SOMEBODY FROM LA OR HOLLYWOOD COMING HERE AND THEN THEY COME. AND WHAT’S THEIR REACTION WHEN THEY’RE HERE? I THINK THAT I THINK THEY’RE REALLY SURPRISED WHEN PEOPLE COME HERE. AT FIRST, I DON’T THINK THEY BELIEVE THEY’RE, YOU KNOW, GOOD CREWS OR GOOD ACTORS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND THEN THEY’RE JUST BLOWN AWAY BECAUSE WE HAVE ALL THAT. AND THEN THEY COME BACK AND THEY COME BACK BECAUSE OF THOSE REASONS AND IT STILL HAPPENS. I STILL TALK TO PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS WHO ARE LIKE, OH MY GOD, THE LOCATIONS HERE ARE AMAZING. WE LOVE PITTSBURGH. YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST, YEAH, WE JUST BLOW THEM AWAY WITH WITH THE TALENT AND THE CREW AND THE LOCATIONS AND THE FRIENDLINESS OF THE CITY. IT’S EASY TO SHOOT HERE BECAUSE NEIGHBORHOODS AREN’T JADED. YOU KNOW, THEY WELCOME THEM WITH OPEN ARMS. EVERYBODY THINKS IT’S COOL. SO AND THEY’LL SHUT DOWN THE WHOLE STREET. LIKE FOR DARK KNIGHT RISES, THEY SHUT DOWN DOWNTOWN AND ENTIRE STREET AND PITTSBURGH’S RESPONSE TO THAT IS, GO RIGHT AHEAD. YOU’RE BRINGING US SOME JOBS AND HELPING THE ECONOMY. RIGHT. AND THEY SHOULD THEY SHOULD WELCOME BECAUSE THAT IS DEFINITELY TRUE. WHY IS THERE SUCH GOOD ACTING TALENT IN PITTSBURGH? DOES THAT COME FROM YOU KNOW, IT STARTED YEARS AGO. ACTORS LEAVING NEW YORK LOOKING FOR AN EASIER PLACE TO LIVE, PEOPLE LIKE LARRY, JOHN MYERS, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD COME HERE TO DO THEATER AND FALL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY AND THEN MOVED HERE TO RAISE YOU KNOW, TO RAISE A FAMILY OR JUST TO HAVE A HAVE A NICER A NICER LIFE. AND THERE WITH A CITY LIKE CLEVELAND BEING TWO HOURS AWAY, THOSE ACTORS, YOU KNOW, THEY COME INTO PITTSBURGH TO WORK BECAUSE IT’S IT’S AN EASY COMMUTE. AND IT’S JUST I THINK THE WORK BROUGHT ACTORS AND THEN THE FACT THAT THERE ARE ACTORS BRINGS WORK. IT’S KIND OF LIKE A GOOD VICIOUS CYCLE, RIGHT? YEAH. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO THOSE? I MEAN, YOU BOTH ARE SOUGHT AFTER FOR, FOR FOR MANY ACTORS AND PERFORMERS IN THIS AREA. AND REALLY OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH TO WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE DREAMS OF THEIR NAME IN LIGHTS? GET YOUR TRAINING. YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS EASY TO BE ON CAMERA AND WITH REALITY TELEVISION AND ALL OF THAT. PEOPLE JUST WANT TO BE FAMOUS. BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO COMPETE AND BE IN A FILM IN A TELEVISION SERIES, YOU NEED SOME TRAINING. SO GET THAT TRAINING FOR YOUR PROGRAM IS THE BEST. BUT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DO IT, TOO. IT TAKES A LITTLE LONGER, BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT TRAINING. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE A STAR OVERNIGHT WITHOUT IT. AND I IT’S SO FUNNY WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK I’M GOOD. YOU KNOW, I THINK I CAN ACT. I COULD DO THAT LINE. RIGHT. DO YOU HAVE ANY TRAINING? WELL, NO. WELL, I’D LIKE TO FLY AN AIRPLANE, BUT I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DO IT FIRST. AND THEY GO, OH, NOT THAT IT’S DANGEROUS, BUT YOU KNOW, IT MAKES THEM THINK LIKE, OH, OKAY. YOU KNOW, I DO HAVE TO LEARN. IT’S A SKILL AND THE BEST ACTORS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS AND THEY KEEP WORKING ON IT. YOU’RE WATCHING WTAE LISTENS. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE LISTENS. WHETHER YOU LIVE IN ONE OF PITTSBURGH’S NEIGHBORHOODS OR ANY SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, TELL US WHAT’S WRONG AND WHAT’S RIGHT IN YOUR AREA SO WE CAN LISTEN. YOU CAN SEND US AN EMAIL. WTAE LISTENS AT HEARST COMM. THANKS FOR JOINING US AND HAVE A GREAT WEEK.