I Am Frankie
Nickelodeon's “I Am Frankie Season 2” is to come before the county commission’s Economic Development and Tourism Committee today (12/14) to seek the maximum incentive, $100,000. The county administration has recommended approval.
A second series by the same network. 75 one-hour episodes of Club 57, was also recommended for approval and was to have come before the same committee today but before the meeting requested a withdrawal of its application. The future of the project, which was slated to begin production in January 2018, is currently unknown.
For the second season of I Am Frankie, Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of Viacom, is projecting 50 production days for the half-hour show with a total expenditure of $5.4 million. The network proposes to produce 80% of the productions in Miami and employ 96 county residents, beginning in early January, with principal photography starting Monday, March 12.
The show, said Deputy Mayor Jack Osterholt in a memo to commissioners, centers on Frankie Gaines (Alex Hook), who looks like any other human girl “but harbors a big secret: She functions as a high-tech computer, complete with internet access, extensive memory and more.”
In Season 2, Frankie finally is fitting in and exploring what it means to be human with the help of her best friend, Dayton (Nicole Alyse Nelson). Things quickly become complicated when a new android arrives at Sepulveda High and the world learns that androids exist. And when WARPA comes back with a new threat, Frankie must struggle to keep her true identity a secret and keep her friends and family safe.
“There’s a lot of interest out there for 2018, especially from independent film producers. We urge them to apply” for the incentive program, county Office of Film and Enertainment chief Sandy Lighterman recently told Miami Today.
Citing the loss of millions in revenues in Miami-Dade “in the absence of state incentives,” county Commissioner Sally Heyman proposed the program in June. To be eligible, companies must spend at least $1 million, film at least 70% of the production here, and hire at least 80% of vendors and contractors locally to receive a tax rebate not to exceed $100,000 per production.
“Everyone wants this done,” Ms. Heyman told one commission meeting before the incentive was approved. “My colleagues and I kept waiting for the state to step up and entice the industry back, especially to South Florida.”
Each year between 2010 and 2016 – when Florida had a well-funded incentive program – film, television, digital media and other productions spent $160 million to $406 million in Miami-Dade, her ordinance said. In addition to local crew salaries, auxiliary spending benefitted hotels, restaurants, suppliers and other businesses.
A 2012 study by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau found that television shows and movies filmed in the region reached more than 1.5 billion viewers, for an advertising value of $405 billion.
That same year, a study by the Visit Florida tourism board revealed that 23% of people interviewed reported that seeing a movie or television series filmed in the state guided their decision to travel to Florida.
But after refusing to add new funding to the incentive program for four consecutive years, the Florida Legislature allowed it to end in 2016
“This program is intended to reverse Miami-Dade County’s fortunes by increasing the number of television, film and entertainment productions shot and produced in Miami-Dade County,” Ms. Heyman’s ordinance said. “It is anticipated that this will ultimately stop many of the remaining jobs supported by the industry from leaving to other locations, and also create new job opportunities.”
The application for I Am Frankie says approval of the tax rebate is a determining factor in whether to film in Miami or elsewhere. It lists Los Angeles and Atlanta as competitors for the project.
Club 57
The Club 57 series that withdrew its application had listed alternative locations in Colombia and Mexico. Its application cited an expenditure of more than $6.8 million, employing 110 Miami-Dade residents for the projected nine-month production period and producing 80% of the project here.
Both series will air on Nickelodeon: I Am Frankie is being produced for Nickelodeon channels worldwide, and is the international adaptation of Yo Soy Franky, which was produced by Nickelodeon Latin America (Latinoamérica) in Colombia; and Club 57 will be made for Nickelodeon Latinoamérica and Nickelodeon Brazil (Brasil).
I Am Frankie would be photographed in various locations around Miami-Dade County, the application states.
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