John Sullivan, a Martinsburg resident and a member of the Berkeley County Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors, used public comment at the July 31 Berkeley County Commission meeting to introduce two film producers who said they plan to pursue multiple movie projects in the area.
Sullivan said the two producers “essentially last year spent $20,000,000 in a small county in Kentucky” and that they are “capable of bringing $30,000,000 to Berkeley County in the next year to year and a half over a 2 to 3 film project.” He identified the producers as Barker White and Jamie Thompson.
Why it matters: County leaders and the Convention and Visitors Bureau routinely weigh local incentives and logistical support when attracting film production. Productions can bring short‑term local spending on lodging, catering and location fees and can motivate longer‑term investments in local film workforce and facilities.
At the meeting, one of the producers described plans beyond filming: apprenticeship and training programs “to help us with infrastructure” and to develop local crews. Sullivan told commissioners he and the producers hope to build local capacity so West Virginia can compete with other filming locations.
On incentives, the producers discussed the structure of the West Virginia film tax credit. A meeting speaker said, “It currently sits at 29%. But if you do a minimum of 13 West Virginia and state resident hires, you can bump that up to 31,” and added that a county incentive could help reach a 33% effective incentive level.
The producers identified local assets they view as attractive to film companies, including available square footage at logistics and distribution centers and historic downtown locations used in prior shoots. No county vote or action on incentives occurred at the July 31 meeting; the appearance was an introduction and an invitation to discuss incentives and support further.
The producers and Sullivan encouraged county staff and commissioners to exchange follow‑up information; they said they would submit detailed incentive proposals by email for county review.
No formal county commitment or contract was announced at the meeting.