Incentives? Louisiana’s got your incentives hanging. Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu spoke with The Austin Chronicle at a roundtable held during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival last month, to present first-hand accounts of the how the state’s cultural economy initiatives work.
The media event featured cultural icons like queen of soul Irma Thomas and restaurant maverick Chef John Besh, as well as art curator Dan Cameron, artist Rhea Gary, and musicians John Boutte, Rockin’ Dopsie, and fiddle prodigy and Disney teen talent Amanda Shaw, all sharing stories of culture’s role in Louisiana’s post-Katrina/Rita recovery.
The Lt. Guv’s Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism office handles the state’s growing film industry; here he explains their strategy to lure crews and projects (while throwing in some savvy SXSW winks and nudges, to boot).
Texas…? Hello…? Bueller?
This article appears in May 16 • 2008.