YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
John Farmer de la Torre is out as the executive director of The Ozarks Film Foundry.
The Ozarks Film Foundry on July 1 sent a news release to media outlets to inform them that the executive director had resigned to pursue other opportunities. In a phone interview July 2, de la Torre told Springfield Business Journal he was asked to resign from the organization he co-founded with David Carr in 2022.
“The board has moved against me,” he said, adding the board told him stakeholders were withholding funding unless he left the organization, whose website says it is committed to forging a movement that leads to sustainable industries in film, television and new media production in the Ozarks.
De la Torre said the board told him he was moving too quickly in his efforts to establish a film industry in the region.
“They said I was too fast and it was upsetting people,” he said. “People wanted a slow walk.”
Asked for further comment about de la Torre’s departure, Monty Dobson, president of the Ozarks Film Foundry Board of Directors, declined, saying the board’s news release was its full statement on the matter.
The release praises de la Torre for what officials called his significant contributions to the organization.
“He played a key role in building the organization by improving programming, enhancing our social media presence and setting up our first successful Ozarks Film Summit,” the statement says. “Additionally, he initiated the process of bringing a certified film commission to the Ozarks, laying the groundwork for future growth and development in the region’s film industry.”
The statement concludes by wishing de la Torre well in his future endeavors.
Although he declined to offer more insight into discussions leading to the executive director’s departure, Dobson did respond to a question about plans to find a new leader.
“According to our bylaws, the board president serves as interim executive director until such time as a new executive director is selected,” he said in an email.
De la Torre said the board made the move with no consideration of succession planning.
“It’s just stopped everyone in their tracks,” he said. “They said they didn’t want to do this – this s--- sandwich they had to deliver – but with mature management, you would plan for succession, especially of an executive director who is the co-founder.”
De la Torre told SBJ the executive director position is a volunteer role, and he said he made $3,500 in his 15 months with the organization.
“I didn’t treat it as a volunteer arrangement; I took it very seriously to try to build an industry here,” he said.
To jump-start the film industry in the Show Me State, the Missouri legislature approved $16 million per year in tax incentives in its 2023 Show MO Act. The Missouri Film Office website explains an eligible project may receive a tax credit in an amount equal to 20%-42% of qualifying expenses.
De la Torre said the move kicked off an effort for cities and regions to compete for the incentives.
Under de la Torre’s leadership, the Ozarks Film Foundry was spearheading an effort to establish a certified Ozarks Film Commission that could attend industry events and promote the region to filmmakers. He said a vote by the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments on the matter was tabled, and the Greene County Commission had been considering it.
Neither SMCOG nor the Greene County Commission returned a call this morning seeking confirmation of de la Torre’s assertion.
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