On the Record

SHERRI C. GOODMAN, News staff writer

Former actor and MTV veejay turned producer and filmmaker Alan Hunter believes Birmingham has nearly all the ingredients of a hip mid-tier city.

Like other Southern cities, it just needs a little more work on its self-esteem, said Hunter, co-owner of WorkPlay Theatre and Birmingham-based Hunter Films. He'd also like to see the city improve its transit system, support a budding local film industry and figure out ways to capitalize on and link the area's pockets of culture.

To that end, he and other area film industry types pushed for and got funding for a regional film office based in Birmingham. He recently launched a nonpartisan social club for hip professionals called Catalyst. And Hunter joined with others six years ago to launch downtown's Sidewalk Film Festival.

Hunter sat down recently with The News to talk about Birmingham's hip quotient and the role it plays in economic development and quality of life.

Q: Is Birmingham cool?

A: Birmingham is an experiential city. The PR beyond the borders of Birmingham, well, I think we all know the negative cliches about Birmingham. That's people's first impression.

In the land of PR, the first impression is about the only thing that will get people to come down here and be a part of what we have going on.

So on one hand, we all know there are great cool things going on in Birmingham. We all feel this resurgence of culture. We feel it's a strong bedrock of culture. But we just can't seem to get the message out.

Q: What do you think we're doing wrong?

A: We are not doing a good PR job, and we haven't done quite enough to create a diversity of activities that will overshadow the negatives ... . I think Birmingham is cool to its inhabitants but it's not quite there, so that means we've got to create more things for people to do.

Obviously everybody is trying to figure out what that is. Is it Visionland? Is it the Dome? ... Every now and then I feel like ... `I just want to wake up and see a big dome on the horizon.' Maybe that would be dramatic and good and get us all tickled, I don't know. So, the jury's out for me.

Q: Members of Alabama's film community have been pushing for a new film office ever since the state film office was closed at the beginning of Gov. Bob Riley's term. Why has it taken so long?

A: I'll touch lightly on it and call it dysfunction. It never really had a good start, never really had a good beginning. It was just some government leaders trying to make things happen. There was sincerity there, but not a whole lot of knowledge. One problem was they tried to set up commissions with people with no knowledge of film business. Then you do what? Meet regularly to do what?

We kept showing model after model after model saying here's a one-pager on what to do, and what they did in Minneapolis, in Orlando and on and on. All we need is a little seed money. And it just kept being thrown out the window.

Once you keep banging away at the right model, it begins to make sense because all the other things have failed. The main reason they fail is because you can't have 10 people that just get together.

They need a director, they need an assistant, a phone number and a desk and some administrative money so they can start working.

The county came forward, the city came forward. The good news is everybody agreed and shook hands and signed on the dotted line and we, meaning the Metropolitan Development Board, are now hunting for an executive director. I'd like to think by midsummer there will be an executive director in place.

Q: Do you think a film office will make a big difference in terms of economic development?

A: That will change things dramatically in six months. Having a knowledgeable human being answering those calls will make a big difference.

The overriding sentiment that all of us in this community want, period, when we interface with the outside world, it's a level of sophistication.

Smart people in any business know in two seconds if they're talking to a dummy or someone who knows what they're talking about ... . When production managers call from Hollywood to a local liaison and if the ignorance starts, they'll hang up and go to Atlanta, North Carolina, Mississippi.

Q: The Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce recently formed a task force aimed at attracting the so-called creative class. Does Birmingham have a shortage of artsy, civic-minded folks?

A: I actually believe there are a lot more disenfranchised young people here that are looking for something to attach themselves to. Most of them probably came through UAB or the IT industry we have dotted on the landscape around here ... . A group like Catalyst, people have been starving for, and we're still in the development stages. I wish we had more for them to do.

We've got that dearth of middle ground activities for young progressive culturally aware people. I just wish we had more funky joints. There are complaints from young professionals and artistic types that they can't afford to go do some of the things Birmingham has to offer.

But Birmingham is a fickle town because people come here to work. That's the other thing that might be changing. As people find more activities, then they'll get out more. It's hard to attract a culture base if people are just working and no one is going to see live music or new restaurants.

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