It’s lights, camera, action for St. Louis and the whole of Missouri. While the state has been traditionally overlooked for filmmaking, a new tax incentive means many productions may be on the horizon. For 10 years, Continuity has been dedicated to supporting and teaching local creators while building the infrastructure necessary to support the growing local production industry. T&S spoke with co-founder Kyle Montgomery to learn more about the nonprofit and how it’s keeping the StL camera-ready.

Why is Missouri overlooked in filmmaking?
At one point, there was a tax incentive to film in the state, but that was removed. It became a point of conversation for the local film community. If the incentive came back, more people would have a reason to film here. Through lobbying and advocacy, a new tax incentive was signed into law. Now, the conversation has shifted. The big question is how can we build the infrastructure that allows filmmaking to really thrive here.

What is the benefit of bringing more film productions to the region?
People don’t usually think about the workforce development aspect. As consumers, we don’t realize all of the moving parts on a film crew. You have people working on a project from pre-production and development all the way through post-production in the editing suit. If you think about the ending credits of a movie, each and every name represents a job.

Where did the idea for Continuity come from?
I’m from St. Louis originally. After moving back in 2012, my co-founder and I were in post-production on our first documentary. We also were working with a nonprofit that provided programming in St. Louis Public Schools. That’s where the idea for our own nonprofit came from. We looked around St. Louis and realized there was an opportunity to help others who wanted to be in the industry. A lot of times, film isn’t always an option for people. We wanted to expand access and reach untapped talent through mentorship in media production.

How does Continuity work to empower creators?
We started with a 36-week training program that was essentially a mini film school. Many of our participants are older and didn’t have the chance to pursue filmmaking previously. We work with individuals who are underrepresented in media production, providing a way to build skills and network. Over the last year and a half, we’ve been transitioning our model. After talking with graduates, we realized there was more they needed to feel empowered to walk onto a working filmset. Our new CREW Workshops cover topics like set basics, pre-production, production and post-production to educate participants on the industry as a whole.

Have you seen a shift in local filmmaking since launching Continuity?
It’s been exciting to see the work our cohort has done. We’ve had several graduates create documentaries and films inspired by the community. Without our programming, you don’t know if they would have taken that step toward being a filmmaker. It’s an honor to be a partner in their journey and to work toward creating jobs for underrepresented filmmakers. Participating in our Set Basics Workshop automatically registers you as an apprentice with the Missouri Film Office, which allows you to work on sets. The movie On Fire recently came to St. Louis to film, and multiple people were able to get crew positions because of our training.

Continuity recently expanded into Kansas City. How do you hope to continue to grow?
We had our first Set Basics Workshop in Kansas City in November, and it was exciting to see the passion and inspiration in that film community. We’re also working on partnerships with local production companies. We hope that they will see our CREW workshops as a place to grow new talent in the region and state as a whole.

How can people support Continuity?
If you’re interested in filmmaking, we hope you take the leap and consider a workshop. We have a Set Basics Workshop coming up on March 16, and we’re talking applications. If you’re someone interested in partnering with us, we hope you join us in growing the local film and media industry further.

For more information, visit continuitycrew.org.

Pictured at top: Co-founder Kyle Montgomery
Photos courtesy of Continuity