Patrick Mulhearn took the helm of Celtic Studios nearly eight years ago during the height of Louisiana’s reign as “Hollywood South.”
This week, Mulhearn announced that on June 30 he will end his tenure as “Mayor of Celticville,” and will leave the studios at a time of uncertainty. The industry has taken a downturn since changes to the state’s film tax credit were made two years ago, but Mulhearn is bullish about the future of the industry. As Daily Report first reported in February, Mulhearn is working on an LSU film fund to foster indigenous productions and bolster home-grown entertainment talent.
But perhaps the most indelible mark the studios have left on the Capital City came in August, unrelated to movies, television or profits. Soon after flooding ravaged the greater Baton Rouge area, Mulhearn and his director of studio operations Aaron Bayham rushed to the studios, flipped on the lights and opened the doors. Flood victims and community donations soon poured in.
“For lack of a better term, I had a religious experience when Celtic served as a shelter that hosted thousands of evacuees during the August floods,” Mulhearn wrote in a Facebook post this week announcing his resignation. “I witnessed the best of humanity when our community came together to help each other during the worst natural disaster in Baton Rouge’s history.”
Before the flood redefined Celtic Studios, Mulhearn helped Baton Rouge capture a share of the swelling Louisiana film industry that proliferated for several years, at the time mainly in New Orleans. The studio landed several feature films and series, including Battleship and two Twilight films.
Georgia may have overtaken Louisiana as “Hollywood South” by now. But leaders in the film industry, Mulhearn included, hope to change the film incentive here and recapture a slice of the entertainment production Louisiana hosted in its heyday. They face opposition in the Legislature this year, as some lawmakers want to scrap the film incentive entirely, and others are skeptical of subsidizing filmmaking during budget crises.
“We need to do more than just facilitate productions in Louisiana. We need to make our own,” Mulhearn wrote. “I still believe that the film and entertainment industries are a great fit for Louisiana and have a huge role to play as we transition to a 21st century economy.”
—Sam Karlin
