North Carolina’s state parks system now has a new operations chief, with a specialty in environmental education.
The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced in a statement on Monday that James Adrian O’Neal, a 21-year veteran park ranger, park superintendent and district superintendent, has been promoted to chief of operations for the state parks system.
O’Neal succeeds Mike Lambert, (formerly a ranger at Gorges State Park in Western North Carolina) who resigned earlier this year to assume a similar position in Connecticut.
O’Neal will be responsible for park operations, resource management, environmental education programming, law enforcement, safety and facility maintenance for the state’s system of 36 state parks, four state recreation areas and 20 state natural areas, as well as other system units covering more than 218,000 acres.
The parks system includes Lake James State Park in Nebo, Gorges State Park in Transylvania County, Chimney Rock Park in Rutherford County, Mount Mitchell State Park in Yancey County, and Grandfather Mountain State Park in Avery Count.
“As a ranger and administrator, Adrian has demonstrated leadership and enthusiasm that reflects the commitment he has to the mission of North Carolina’s state parks,” Michael Murphy, state parks director, said in a statement.
“The state parks system and its field staff will rely on his experience and skills as we continue to develop conservation initiatives, innovative recreation opportunities and environmental education for our 14 million visitors each year.”
O’Neal is a native of Dunn and graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management. He began his career with the state parks system in 1993 as a ranger at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park and later served at Carolina Beach State Park.
In 2003, O’Neal was promoted to superintendent of Lake Waccamaw State Park. In 2004, he became east district superintendent responsible for operations at nine state parks in that region. He is a certified environmental educator and served in leadership roles in law enforcement training, the division’s awards program and interpretation and education programming.
North Carolina’s state parks had some 14.2 million visits in 2013, maintaining the record levels reached in 2012 and 2011. But out of the five parks in the westernmost part of the state, only two — Lake James and Gorges — had slight increases in visitation, while three parks had decreases in visitors. Mount Mitchell, about an hour’s drive northeast of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway, had the largest decrease, a 19 percent drop over the year before.
“Last year state parks had 30,000 more visitors over 2012, but it’s really insignificant statistically,” Charlie Peek, spokesman for State Parks and Recreation, said earlier this year when the numbers were released.
“When the recession really hit, visitation jumped significantly to the 14 million benchmark and has stayed there. I’m hoping it’s a combination perhaps of people finding more to do in the parks and more ways to enjoy them.”
Lake James, WNC’s most popular state park, had a 2 percent increase last year to nearly 400,000, drawing visitors for its new swimming beach, canoeing, fishing, hiking and its new mountain biking trails.
RALEIGH – James Adrian O’Neal, a 21-year veteran park ranger, park superintendent and district superintendent, has been promoted to chief of operations for the state parks system, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
O’Neal succeeds Mike Lambert, who resigned earlier this year to assume a similar position in Connecticut.
O’Neal will be responsible for park operations, resource management, environmental education programming, law enforcement, safety and facility maintenance for the state’s system of 36 state parks, four state recreation areas and 20 state natural areas, as well as other system units covering more than 218,000 acres.
“As a ranger and administrator, Adrian has demonstrated leadership and enthusiasm that reflects the commitment he has to the mission of North Carolina’s state parks,” said Michael Murphy, state parks director. “The state parks system and its field staff will rely on his experience and skills as we continue to develop conservation initiatives, innovative recreation opportunities and environmental education for our 14 million visitors each year.”
O’Neal is a native of Dunn and graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management. He began his career with the state parks system in 1993 as a ranger at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park and later served at Carolina Beach State Park.
In 2003, O’Neal was promoted to superintendent of Lake Waccamaw State Park. In 2004, he became east district superintendent responsible for operations at nine state parks in that region. He is a certified environmental educator and served in leadership roles in law enforcement training, the division’s awards program and interpretation and education programming.
B. J. Drye is editor of The Stanly News Press. Contact him at (704) 982-2121 ext. 25, bj@stanlnewspress.com or PO Box 488, Albemarle, NC 28002.
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Southern Designer Showcase applicants can visit belk.com and click on the Southern Designer Showcase button to submit their applications starting today through February 2, 2015. Designers must be 18 or older and must currently live in the South or have … Facebook Twitter
Belk, Inc., the nation’s largest family owned department store company, is once again seeking Southern designers of Women’s Apparel, Men’s Apparel, Kid’s Apparel, Shoes and Women’s Accessories to add to its existing collection of … Facebook Twitter Pinterest
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Belk, Inc., the nation’s largest family owned department store company, is once again seeking Southern designers of Women’s Apparel, Men’s Apparel, Kid’s Apparel, Shoes and Women’s Accessories to add to its existing collection of brands for its third Southern Designer Showcase competition. Winning designs will be sold at Belk and on belk.com in Spring 2016.
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Belk, Inc., the nation’s largest family owned department store company, is once again seeking Southern designers of Women’s Apparel, Men’s Apparel, Kid’s Apparel, Shoes and Women’s Accessories to add to its existing collection of brands for its third Southern Designer Showcase competition. Winning designs will be sold at Belk and on belk.com in Spring 2016.
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Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Charlotte-based Belk, Inc., the nation’s largest family owned department store company, is once again seeking Southern designers of Women’s Apparel, Men’s Apparel, Kid’s Apparel, Shoes and Women’s Accessories to add to its existing collection of brands for its third Southern Designer Showcase competition. Winning designs will be sold at Belk and on belk.com in Spring 2016.
Applicants can visit belk.com and click on the Southern Designer Showcase button to submit their applications starting today through February 2, 2015. Designers must be 18 or older and must currently live in the South or have a strong connection to the region. A panel of senior Belk executives in Merchandising, Marketing and Fashion Direction will select a group of finalists by February 27, 2015 and will invite them to present their designs at Belk Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 16, 2015.
“The Southern Designer Showcase is back and better than ever,” said Arlene Goldstein, Belk’s vice president of trend merchandising and fashion direction. “We are thrilled to give a new group of emerging fashion designers the opportunity to bring our customers the fashions they love.”
The 2015 Southern Designer Showcase winners will be announced on May 14, 2015 during a celebration event at Belk Headquarters. Along with a cash prize, winners of the 2015 Southern Designer Showcase will have their collections sold in select Belk stores and on belk.com in Spring 2016. Winning collections may also be featured in upcoming advertising campaigns.
“We can hardly wait to see what this year’s competition applicants have to offer,” said David Zant, Belk’s president and chief merchandising officer. “These designers truly help us define what is Modern, Southern, Style and we are excited to build new relationships with our 2015 winners.”
About Belk, Inc. Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. (www.belk.com) is the nation’s largest family owned and operated department store company with 300 Belk stores located in 16 Southern states and a growing digital presence. Its belk.com website offers a wide assortment of national brands and private label fashion apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family along with top name cosmetics, a wedding registry and a large selection of quality merchandise for the home. Founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, N.C., the company is in the third generation of Belk family leadership and has been committed to community involvement since its inception. In the fiscal year ended Feb. 1, 2014, the company and its associates, customers and vendors donated more than $20.9 million to communities within Belk market areas.
Belk offers many ways to connect via digital and social media, including Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, Google Plus and Belk Blog, and provides exclusive offers, fashion updates, sales notifications and coupons via email or mobile phone text messages. Customers can also download the latest Belk mobile apps for the iPad, iPhone or Android.
Christmas with the Embers will be held Monday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. at Randleman Elementary School, 100 Swaim St.
The event is hosted by the Randleman Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by local businesses.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at Freeman’s Florist Gifts, 101 N. Main St.; PIP Printing in the North Gate Plaza, Asheboro; and David at Express Employment Professionals, 131-F Dublin Square Road, Asheboro; as well as from Chamber board members, or by calling or emailing the chamber at 336-495-1100 or chamber43@northstate.net . Tickets are $15 each in advance or $20 at the door. You may also bring nonperishable food that will be donated to Randleman-area food pantries.
The Embers are North Carolina’s Official Musical Ambassadors and Bluewater Recordings artists. They will bring their seasonal holiday show “Christmas with the Embers” to Randleman again having preformed here in 2011 and 2013.
“Christmas with the Embers” is a delightful and engaging experience that will leave you with that wistful warm and cozy Christmas feeling through theatre and song. Superlative costume changes and theatrical props will keep you intrigued along with original presentations of your favorite Christmas classics and Embers originals sure to set deep in your heart. 2014 inductees into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in October, the Ember’s also welcomed back Craig Woolard to the band this year.
This year’s show brings the true meaning of Christmas through moving inspirational pieces and classic holiday sing alongs. They continue their top-quality showmanship as the show takes you through a full range of emotions ranging from surprise and joy to laughter and tears. Be sure and bring a friend or two, even make it a company outing. You’ll enjoy the evening.
Following the show, The Embers will bid you a holiday farewell in the lobby where you can get an autograph, pictures and CDs. The 90-minute show, without an intermission, is a fund-raiser for the Randleman Chamber of Commerce.
Sponsors are Rheem, Nelson Alarms, Judy Routh Hayes-Realtor, Randleman Enrichment, JD Lanier Electric, Hospice of Randolph County, PIP Printing, Randolph County Tourism Development Authority–Heart of North Carolina Travel Bureau and Sir Pizza.
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FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson did not receive a severance package when he resigned over the weekend, the St. Louis suburb’s mayor said Sunday.
Wilson, 28, won’t receive any further pay or benefits, and he and the city have cut their ties, Mayor James Knowles told reporters a day after Wilson tendered his resignation, which was effective immediately.
Wilson, who is white, had been on administrative leave since he killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, during an Aug. 9 confrontation. A grand jury decided Monday not to indict him, sparking days of sometimes violent protests in Ferguson and other cities.
Wilson wrote in his resignation letter that his “continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance I cannot allow.”
His lawyer, Neil Bruntrager, told The Associated Press that Wilson decided to step aside after police Chief Tom Jackson told him about the alleged threats on Saturday.
“The information we had was that there would be actions targeting the Ferguson (police) department or buildings in Ferguson related to the police department,” Bruntrager said. He said Wilson, who had worked for the department for less than three years, and the city were already discussing an exit strategy, acknowledging that Wilson staying on as an officer there would be impossible.
Many have criticized the authorities’ handling of the case, but Knowles said no leadership changes were in the works. Asked if he would resign, Jackson said flatly, “No.”
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Brown’s family, said Wilson’s resignation was not a surprise.
“It was always believed that the police officer would do what was in his best interest, both personally and professionally,” Crump said. “We didn’t believe that he would be able to be effective for the Ferguson community nor the Ferguson Police Department because of the tragic circumstances that claimed the life of Michael Brown Jr.”
Crump said the family is still considering civil litigation such as a wrongful death lawsuit, “but don’t let that get confused with the fact that they really wanted the killer of their child to be held accountable.”
Victoria Rutherford of Ferguson said she believed Wilson should have not only resigned, but been convicted of a crime.
“I’m upset. I have a 16-year-old son. It could’ve been him. I feel that he was absolutely in the wrong,” she said.
Others residents were more sympathetic. Reed Voorhees said he hoped Wilson could find similar work “someplace where he would enjoy life, and move on with his life.”
Wilson has spent his career as a police officer, first in neighboring Jennings, then in Ferguson. Bruntrager said it’s all he’s ever wanted to do.
“In terms of what it (the resignation) means, it means at this point he doesn’t have a paycheck,” Bruntrager said. “He has no income so he’ll have to make some decisions pretty quickly.”
Wilson fatally shot Brown in the middle of a Ferguson street after the two scuffled inside Wilson’s police SUV. Brown’s body was left for more than four hours as police investigated and angry onlookers gathered.
Some witnesses have said Brown had his hands up when Wilson shot him. Wilson told the grand jury that he feared for his life when Brown hit him and reached for his gun.
The U.S. Justice Department is conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting and a separate investigation of police department practices. It isn’t clear when those results will be announced.
The White House said President Barack Obama will hold meetings on the Ferguson situation Monday. A Cabinet meeting will focus on his administration’s review of federal programs that provide military-style equipment to law enforcement agencies. Meetings with civil rights leaders, law enforcement officials and others will focus on ways to build trust and strengthen communities.
After the grand jury’s decision was announced, 12 commercial buildings in Ferguson were destroyed by fire. There have been well over 100 arrests at St. Louis-area protests in that time.
Knowles said there hasn’t been a cost assessment of the damage in Ferguson yet, and he promised residents and businesses that the city will do all it can to seek financial help.
“We are committed to rebuilding our city,” he said.
Reverberations of the Ferguson events were evident at the St. Louis Rams’ game.
Inside the dome, five Rams players engaged in their own apparent show of solidarity for Ferguson protesters, standing with their arms raised in a “Hands Up” gesture before trotting onto the field for pregame introductions. All five — Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Jared Cook and Chris Givens — are black.
After the game, about 100 protesters marched in the area near the Edward Jones Dome, chanting, “Ram fans — join the movement.” When about three dozen St. Louis officers in riot gear showed up to make sure things didn’t get out of hand, many of the fans broke out in spontaneous applause for the officers.
CHARLESTON — Wanda Fay Miller, age 80 of Charleston passed away on Saturday November 29, 2014 at 10:40 a.m. at Brookstone Estates in Charleston, IL.
The funeral service in her honor will begin at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, 1200 Wabash Avenue, Mattoon, IL, with Pastor Brad Brown officiating. Interment will be in Hazel Dell Cemetery, Hazel Dell, IL. Visitation will be held Monday evening, December 1, 2014 from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., at the funeral home.
Wanda was born September 16, 1934 in Wilson, OK the daughter of Cecil and Robbie (Mallory) Barrington. She married L. Joe Miller on May 26, 1951 in Altamont and they shared 62 wonderful years of marriage. He preceded her in death on August 17, 2013.She is survived by two children, Terry Joe Miller and wife Kathy of Charleston, IL, and Fayetta Wilson and husband Duane of Charlotte, NC; three grandchildren, Lori Miller of San Diego, CA, Travis Wilson and wife Suzanne of Austin, TX, and Mallory Chacon and husband Jesus of Charlotte, NC; six great grandchildren, Brooklynn, J.R., and Micah Chacon; and Joseph, Jack, and Ellen Wilson; three brothers, Bob Barrington and wife Jaunee of MS, Cecil Barrington and wife Jan of FL and Bill Barrington and wife Shirley of VA. She is also survived by five nephews and seven nieces.
First and foremost, Wanda was a pastor’s wife for more than fifty years. She enjoyed working on crafts with her husband Joe and playing piano at Odd-Fellow Rebekah Home for years. She attended Family Worship Center of Mattoon. She taught school in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Memorials may be made to the Family Worship Center Building Fund, 1816 Broadway Avenue, Mattoon, IL 61938.
Please visit www.mitchell-jerdan.com or www.facebook.com/mitchell-jerdanfuneralhome to light a virtual candle in her honor or share a memory with her family.
To leave condolences online, visit www.jg-tc.com, click on obituaries, select the individual’s name and click on “View Signatures.”
An estimated 50,000 visitors, gathering on water and land, cheered on the parade of yachts and motorboats, each decorated with a holiday theme and thousands of glittering lights. The flotilla followed a 4-mile route through Motts Channel, Banks Channel and the Intracoastal Waterway, passing the judges’ viewing stand at Blockade Runner Beach Resort.
A panel of judges, including John Boy of John Boy and Billy’s Big Show, selected the winners, all competing for $10,500 in cash prizes plus holiday bragging rights. Text voting continued this year, with Crowd Favorite and People’s Choice Awards determined by spectators.
The evening ended with a stunning 21-minute, 4,000-round fireworks display by Zambelli International, illuminating the night sky, and showering the waterway with sound and color.
Fall weather conditions were favorable with mild wind, clear sky, and fall temperature in the upper 40s, according to the release.
2014 winners by category include:
Best Overall
Captain: Mike Spivey; Vessel: Angler Management; Theme: Good Tidings to You, Turtle
Peoples Choice
Captain: Ava and Scott Werstlein; Vessel: No Name; Theme: Furtilla
Crowd Favorite
Captain: Skip Wilson; Vessel: The Bottom Line; Theme: Yellow Submarine
Best Powerboat 31ft. and over
Captain: Bob Bleecker; Vessel: JB; Theme: Salt Life Santa
Best Powerboat 23ft. – 31ft.
Captain: Eric Burns; Vessel: Chuck Norris; Theme: Sleigh Surfing
NEW YORK — For more than a century, cities around the world have compared themselves to Paris. Many claim to be the Paris of the East: Bucharest, Prague, Istanbul, Beirut and Shanghai to name a few. There’s also the Paris of North America (Montreal), the Paris of South America (Buenos Aires) and the Paris of the Plains — Kansas City in the Jazz Age.
But now the wannabe city is Brooklyn. Every neighborhood with a critical mass of bearded hipsters, bike shops and vegan cafes calls itself “the new Brooklyn.” Ballard is the Brooklyn of Seattle. Glasgow and Melbourne both claim Brooklyn cool. And Oakland, California, has been called the Brooklyn of San Francisco so many times that Julia Cosgrove, editor of AFAR travel magazine, says she “can’t bear to read another story about it.”
There’s even a Brooklyn of Paris: the once-gritty suburb of Pantin. Its derelict, graffiti-covered warehouses have been taken over by galleries and artists, turning it into the hippest place in the City of Light. Just like in Brooklyn, real estate prices have shot up, and old industrial buildings now house luxury lofts.
“It may have a way to go before it’s on a par with Brooklyn, but I expect it will continue to develop, considering how much investment and risk-taking is going on there — alongside the natural flux of artists toward the area,” said artist Oliver Beer, who works both with a gallery in Pantin and with the Museum of Modern Art’s contemporary arts outpost, PS1, in New York City.
Other signs of what’s called the “Brooklynization of Paris” include gluten-free restaurants and juice bars popping up. “It used to be when young chefs studied under the great chefs, they wanted to open important restaurants or go to the countryside and get their Michelin star. Now they’re rejecting that model, they’re saying, ‘I’m going to do more back-to-the-roots, farm-to-table cooking in a small restaurant with a few tables,'” said Katherine Johnstone, a spokeswoman for Atout France USA, the French tourism agency in New York, describing a shift that some observers compare to Brooklyn’s culinary scene.
Tourism folks in Asheville, North Carolina, say their city was once called the Paris of the South, but now they compare it to Brooklyn, thanks to artisanal food, indie entrepreneurs and a thriving music and arts scene. An emerging arts and entertainment district in Miami that will link to areas like Wynwood, known for street art, is said by promoters to be “like Brooklyn in its nascent days” — an interesting thought, since Brooklyn was settled by the Dutch in the 1600s. And San Diego’s South Park-North Park neighborhood is called SoNo, but it would be a no-no to compare it to Soho. Instead it claims a mix of Brooklyn and Southern California vibes.
But cities that once compared themselves to Paris were evoking something much grander than culinary trends or gentrification. In the mid-19th century, the “narrow, labyrinthine streets” of medieval Paris were demolished, making way “for the massive boulevards and squares where restaurants, cafes, theaters and other centers of amusement satisfied bourgeois taste,” according to Villanova University history professor Alexander Varias. Cultural capitals in many regions underwent similar redesigns, then called themselves the Paris of wherever to signal pride in their architecture, broad boulevards, parks, arts and even nightlife.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s emergence as a global symbol of all things trendy marks quite a turnaround for a place once mocked as Manhattan’s less sophisticated neighbor — even if the new Brooklyn has new problems, like young professionals and affluent families pushing out the poor and working-class folks who populated Brooklyn for decades.
“We’ve become the epicenter of cool as cool is now defined,” said Marty Markowitz, 69, who was born and raised in Brooklyn in an era when it was better-known for ethnic enclaves, working-class culture and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Markowitz, who served as Brooklyn borough president for 12 years and now works for NYC Company, the city’s tourism agency, promoting all the boroughs, added: “There is no question that Brooklyn now serves as an example for other urban centers of how a community can transform itself into a hotbed of style.”
On Oct. 10, The Atlantic published a list of places The New York Times has compared to Brooklyn with headlines like “Brooklyn in Beijing” and “Brooklyn on the Hudson.” Undaunted, a Nov. 6 Times headline read: “A Touch of Brooklyn in Ridgewood, Queens.”
And if Queens is the new Brooklyn, there’s already a name for that, too: Quooklyn.
For Kevin Patrick Murphy, Asheville actors seeking stardom on big — or small — screens need more than personal drive.
They also have to be, well, “willing to drive,” said Murphy, an actor with 20 years of experience who moved to the area five years ago.
Aspiring and established actors like Murphy are choosing to settle in Asheville for the quality of life, and travel sometimes hundreds of miles for work on film and commercial sets throughout the Southeast.
“The amount of work I have had since moving to Asheville is ridiculous,” said Murphy, who moved here from Los Angeles. In the last year, Murphy booked acting jobs in six major television series, three parts on films and three commercials.
“Most of it, unfortunately, is out-of-town,” he said. “It is really nice and a nice treat when it is here, but most of the work is in Charlotte or Atlanta.”
Murphy also runs The Actor’s Center of Asheville, one of several acting schools that have opened in the past five years and have spearheaded the growth and success of the region’s film acting community.
One of Murphy’s students worked on the “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1,” and is one of several local actors in two blockbuster films in local theaters this week, including “Dumb and Dumber To.”
Both movies were filmed partly in Atlanta, which is quickly becoming the Hollywood of the Southeast.
The first film in the “The Hunger Games” series was filmed in Western North Carolina in summer 2011, and sparked a new wave of hopeful actors in the area.
Jennifer Trudrung is a part of that wave, who since first working as an extra in “The Hunger Games,” has gone on to act in a variety of regional television shows, film projects and commercials.
“We all started with ‘The Hunger Games,” she said of a group of friends she made during the production in Shelby and Charlotte. “Now it’s our career.”
Trudrung recently signed with an agent and has been taking lessons at The Actor’s Center of Asheville for about a year.
“There is a huge acting community here,” she said. “I think there are many opportunities to enrich your craft, work on your craft, make connections and move forward.”
Trudrung was cast as an injured citizen at a hospital in District 8. “It was really cool,” she said. “I got lucky. I got to be right in the middle of the action. I am sitting right next to someone with a speaking line.”
Trudrung also worked on 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which recreated the fantasy world of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling science fiction adventure trilogy in Atlanta and Hawaii. “The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay — Part 1” filmed again in Atlanta, as well as Boston and Los Angeles.
CITIZEN-TIMES
‘Mockingjay Part 1’-I know why the caged Katniss whines
She also got to have a total “geek out moment,” she said. “I had a burn on my arm and it wasn’t reading well (on camera), so (makeup artist) Ve Neill came over to fix my burns.”
Neill, who has won three Academy Awards, also appears on “Face Off,” a special-effects reality TV show on SyFy. “I left the experience really enjoying the creation of the scene,” Trudrung said. “It is so cool when you can be so close up to the magic.”
Trudrung’s face appears in one of the promotional shots for “Mockingjay,” which has made more than $370 million worldwide.
Still, she said, she tries not to think too much about whether or not she will actually appear on the big screen during the filming.
16-hour days
It’s one of the realities of background acting work — or, really, any acting job. Even a star’s entire role can be cut from a final film, like Kevin Costner in “The Big Chill.”
And all that effort comes with financial and time expenses. She noted most of her work is in Atlanta, so she has to factor in the cost of travel and lodging when making decisions about a role.
“You have to really want to work on the set,” Trudrung said.
Background work is “very intense and there can be very long days,” she said. On some sets, she’s spent 16 hours working, with about six hours of that shift sitting in a makeup chair.
Pay can vary wildly based on the productions, as well as if an actor is a member of the SAG-AFTA, an American labor union representing more than 100,000 television, film and background actors.
Here’s an example: A background performer can make between $124 daily, with $23.25 per hour overtime, according to the CW Supplement Wage Tables from SAG-AFTA. A performer can make $880, and a weekly performer can make $3,053.
“I love doing background work, but I got more picky,” Trudrung said. “You are more of an observer (when you are doing background work).”
Now, she’s ready to be a performer. “I have the capability and the confidence to do this.”
Trudrung’s friend and colleague Marsha van Rijssen also discovered her love for film acting through “The Hunger Games,” and also worked on the movie’s sequels.
“It’s a huge commitment to drive to Atlanta,” said van Rijssen. But it’s worth it, she said, because “I am a true fan of the series — that is what brought me in the first place.”
She stays with family when she works in Atlanta. “It takes a lot of support,” she said.
For “Mockingjay,” van Rijssen worked as a citizen of District 5 in the dystopian post-apocalyptic nation of Panem. She was part of a group that sang an emotional song.
“The scene is so powerful,” she said. “It was really beautiful.”
And — as a literal bonus — she got a “singing bump” on her paycheck for working as a background actor.
Since her work on “The Hunger Games,” van Rijssen has a new appreciation for filmmaking.
“It changes how you see a movie, for better or worse,” she said. “Seeing what these people do seven days a week, 16 hours a day, I understand now why you have to pay $10 for a movie.”
Van Rijssen focuses more on commercial work part time. “I haven’t been able to go full-force pursuing acting classes and instructions,” she said. She’s worked on a local commercial for jewelry boutique Jewels that Dance, as well as national campaigns for Lowes and Ivory soap.
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Jon Menick, of Screen Artists Co-op, says about 15-20 percent of the actors he works with will work as performers full time.
“Others have other part-time jobs or full-time jobs,” he said. One actor, for instance, runs his own catering company, so he can set his own hours to accommodate days on set and in the kitchen.
Lindsay Ayliffe left his career in advertising to pursue voice acting, and eventually roles in television in film.
A Florida native, his dreams of living in Asheville predate his passion for acting.
“I have always wanted to live in the mountains,” he said. “My heart is really up in the mountains.”
He drove down to Atlanta recently to work on “Dumb and Dumber To.” He appears as Professor Garabedian in the film, which has made more than $84 million worldwide.
“There’s this big audience of nerds and I am giving a lecture on particles, black holes, dark matter,” he said. “Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are heckling me.”
Ayliffe also worked on television shows like “Nashville,” “Banshee” and “Charlotte,” which have both filmed in Charlotte, and “Reckless,” which films in Charleston.
He’s also worked as a professional voice actor since 1995.
“As a voice actor, I would get asked all the time why I didn’t move to New York or Los Angeles,” he said. “And I would tell them ‘why would I go there and compete with them there?'”
He can practice his lines in his beautiful backyard in the Beaverdam Valley, he said, and professionally record his audition and upload it into an online resource that casting agents and producers access for jobs.
And, Ayliffe noted, “I like to drive.”
‘Thank God for Atlanta’
Atlanta is about a three-and-a-half hour drive from Asheville, and is a professional second home for many Asheville actors.
According to Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, 158 feature film and television productions were filmed in fiscal year 2014, with most concentrated in Atlanta.
“Thank God for Atlanta,” Menick said.
One reason for the development: Georgia has one of the most innovative film incentive packages for productions that spend at least $500,000. It starts with a 20 percent tax credit, but more tax credits can be added if the final product includes a promotional logo for the state, for instance.
North Carolina’s tax credit program will expire at the end of 2014.
The replacement $10 million grant program will be in effect for the first six months of 2015. It requires a $5 million minimum investment for feature films and $250,000 for television series and commercials. It also has a $5 million per-project cap for all productions.
The program was part of the state budget, and the on-its-way-out film tax credit program gives a 25 percent refund to productions that spend more than $250,000, with a payout cap of $20 million for most productions and no monetary limit on TV series.
In the new grant program, the N.C. Film Office is now part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, a new private nonprofit corporation that’s handling state government’s business recruiting, marketing and tourism function.
Filming in and around Asheville
Amanda Baranski, director of the Western North Carolina Film Commission, says the agency has assisted seven projects since 2011 that have taken advantage of the expiring tax incentive package.
The most well-known is the blockbuster “The Hunger Games,” released in 2012, but also includes “The World Made Straight,” an adaptation of a book by WNC-based author Ron Rash, as well as the horror movie “Honeymoon,” released this fall. Both titles were shot last year.
Director David Burris, a North Carolina native who now lives in Los Angeles, “explored a couple different places” for “The World Made Straight,” which will be released Jan. 9.
“Our best bet creatively, logistically was do it actually where (the book) was set,” Burris said. The production worked in Madison, Buncombe and Henderson counties, including Marshall, Weaverville, Leicester, Arden and Black Mountain.
Burris hired a variety of local crew and talent for the three-month-long filming, calling them “just outstanding.”
“Our key hairdresser was from Madison County, and we would ask her what would be believable” for the 1970s characters, like if a farm boy then would wear a watch, he said. They also hired a dialect coach from Appalachian State University.
“I can’t wait to shoot in Asheville again,” he said.
In 2012, the commission assisted with the completion of 14 projects; in 2014, it has helped with 26 projects, Baranski said.
This summer, Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig and Owen Wilson shot “Masterminds” in and around Asheville. The comedy from Relativity is set to be released domestically Aug. 14.
“It’s going to be a whole new ballgame,” Baranski said of the grant program. “We will see how the film industry responds to the program.”
Murphy said he’s not scared of the changes. “We might not have (as many films) at our back door,” he said. “It may slow us down a bit, but there is plenty of work around us.”
Some productions have moved from North Carolina to states with better tax credits or film incentives, such as the Cinemax series “Banshee.” It formerly filmed in Charlotte, and both Trudrung and Ayliffe worked as extras or featured extras in the series.
In August, the production announced it was moving to Louisiana in 2015, and cited the reduced film incentives. Murphy said casting agencies, however, will often be loyal to actors they’ve worked with in the past — even if they now live states away from an ongoing project.
“The idea of loyalty is what I really teach my students about,” he said. “I teach them to create relationships with casting directors.”
For Menick of the Screen Artists Co-op, “North Carolina is not dead — (film tax credits) is not a dead issue,” he emphasized. “Anybody in this region has to work in the region.”
He doesn’t think the tax credit changes will hamper the momentum of actors in his training program or talent agency, either.
“When I moved here, the general tone for the agents in this region was that this was a black hole,” said Menick, who founded the school in August 2012. ” … We have uncovered a treasure trove.”
Richard Handy launched New York Studio for Stage and Screen in 2012. The conservatory isn’t just training Asheville locals — it’s attracting people from around the country.
“We have people who are moving here for the program,” Handy said. “We have people from five states who commute every week (for classes).”
Others have flown from California to be a part of weekend workshops, for example.
In the next few weeks, Handy will launch a new performance website for Asheville and the region, which will include a dedicated space for information about casting calls throughout the Southeast.
“There are so many different places that actors have to look for opportunities,” he said.
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