Spud Institute & Spud Fest - Idaho Falls
Dawn Wells, well known for her role as "Mary Ann"" on the television series "Gilligan's Island" is bringing the film industry to Idaho. For the last few years Dawn has operated the "Film Actors Boot Camp" at her ranch in Driggs, where she shares her passion for film making and helps others develop their talents.
Now, Dawn is expanding her business endeavors through the development of the "Spud Institute" and a film and music festival called "Spud Fest." Last year she turned to the Idaho Falls Small Business Development Center for help in developing her new businesses. The Spud Institute is a business training program to help aspiring film crew and cast students acquire skills. The program, which is accredited through Stephens College in Missouri, allows students to obtain college credits while developing a local film crew that will help attract film and advertising companies to Idaho.
The Institute offers a unique business opportunity, not only for Idaho, but for Montana and Wyoming as well, since there are few support services available for film companies wanting to work in these states. It is cost prohibitive to transport and maintain an entire film crew on location for several weeks. Consequently, many companies avoid filming in these states. The Spud Institute will remedy that.
Spud Fest is an annual non-profit family film and music festival that was held for the first time in August 2004 in Driggs. The 5-day event attracted dozens of original films and raised tens of thousands of dollars through contributions and sponsorships. Hundreds of guests attended and the event attracted the attention of several notable film companies.
Ultimately, Dawn would like to move her production company "Tri-Power Studio" to Idaho, offering professional film editing and processing services that will further increase Idaho's ability to market the state to professional film companies. Dawn's businesses are already impacting the community and the state through job creation and economic stimulus, as well as making Idaho more attractive to film makers.
The Idaho Falls SBDC utilized numerous resources to assist Dawn, including business plan development, counseling, and assistance with personnel, financial, and physical resource development. Students from Brigham Young University -Idaho were placed as student interns and a substantial amount of support was provided in the setup and administration of the Spud Fest festival.
