[ MAUKA MAKAI ]

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COURTESY BLAINE MICHIOKA Former Kauai Film Commissioner Judy Drosd.

Film official fought
big-budget egos

Kauai film commissioner
kept bad vibes off sets

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By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

During the Kauai filming of Harrison Ford's "6 Days, 7 Nights," there was an early morning fistfight between three Hawaii crew in the catering area at Nawiliwili Harbor.

The altercation might have gone unmentioned except that some of the mainland production team witnessed the incident and vented to some local media. That sent Kauai County Film Commissioner Judy Drosd into hyperspin.

News about violence on a production can seriously damage a location's reputation no matter the cause. Hawaii was recovering from years of bad press over film crew and drivers union strife, a production-related murder and arson, and charges of union nepotism.

Drosd, who resigned in July, explained at the time that the fight was a nonstory because no charges had been filed and no one got hurt.

"Is an incident between some thugs important enough to seriously damage Hawaii's reputation, or is it just sensationalism?" she told a reporter. "This was basically a street fight ... but it could be perceived much differently."

During her decade as film commissioner -- 1992-2002 -- Drosd has had to deal with several difficult situations of the type that occur whenever ego-driven entertainment executives and stars meet up with county officials unable or unwilling to grasp the importance of the film industry to the state economy.

COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES Steven Spielberg brought all three of his "Jurassic Park" dinosaur epics to Kauai.

Drosd declines talking about specifics, but Kauai residents who have worked with her enjoy telling the tales.

There was the producer who insisted that he and his film's star needed unregulated use of helicopters so they could be transported from their Poipu hotel to North Shore locations a few times a day. The noisy aircraft would be flying over residential and wilderness areas normally restricted from this kind of noise obtrusion.

According to production sources, Drosd politely asked the producer to be more sensitive about local issues and culture.

"The producer was very angry," a source said.

The issue was resolved, but all Drosd will say is that "a compromise was reached."

There also have been some property owners who sought exorbitant location fees for use of their land, including one wanting a percentage of the film's profits because "his property would be a star in the film," another source said.

"It's those sort of things that can send productions to other locations," Drosd said. "My job was to try to help both sides reach a compromise.

"I saw myself as the sandwich meat between the outside production world coming in and the cultural, societal and political structure here. Productions are under huge pressure economically, and they often transfer that pressure to us on Kauai.

"My job was to absorb stress from both sides, not let it leak out. I try to protect everyone from any negatives that come their way."

DROSD IS THE matriarch of Hawaii's film commissioners, serving longest of the three other current county commissioners. During her tenure, Kauai County's annual production revenues from film, television and commercials more than doubled from $5 million to $11.4 million, for a total of $67 million during her tenure. She did it on a budget that ranged from a minuscule $80,000 to $125,000 a year, a salary of about $40,000, and an island that suffered through the worse hurricane damage in state history, 1992's Iniki.

Drosd became known as the can-do film commissioner.

"She believes in building Kauai's film industry no matter what it took, and I know it meant working long hours on her own time without compensation," a Universal spokesperson said.

A producer who requested anonymity said he called Drosd at all hours for last-minute location permits and, in some cases, personal favors, like favorable golfing tee times for the film's star.

"She never guaranteed it, but she said she would do her best," the producer said. "That's the message I took back to Hollywood. Judy understood the unreasonable demands of this business."

The entertainment industry is one that's easily misunderstood by outsiders. That sort of misunderstanding meant in some instances that Drosd's expenses for some meals with production executives were questioned by the county.

"The entertainment industry is based on relationships, and things work out best when you can work on a peer level with people as opposed to just being seen as a paid, government worker doing a job," she said. "You have to work to develop relationships. People come back because they know you."

Several Hollywood production executives said the relationships their studios had with Drosd were the reason they returned with other films.

"It's looked on as being all glamorous because of the celebrity thing, and that often blocks people's minds from seeing the nuts and bolts of the industry," Drosd said.

IN HER FIRST year as commissioner, Drosd helped land Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park," followed by two sequels.

Her resignation, she says, is more about taking on new challenges in another field than frustration with the political aspects of her position.

Tiffani Sugai Lizama will be named as Drosd's replacement by Kauai Mayor Maryanne Kusaka within the next few weeks.

Drosd is candid about what Kauai County needs to do "if" it wants a thriving film industry in "an era of sophisticated competition" from other locales.

"There's a perception that the film office is just a bunch of bureaucratic paper-pushers issuing location permits," she said. "Unfortunately, there are people on the County Council who think that way.

"But the job is a business-attraction function ... to create jobs and bring money into the community, and a rather high level of negotiation on all levels" to ensure that productions are successful filming here.

Ironically, Drosd defends the county in giving the film office such a small budget because "the county doesn't see the revenue productions bring in."

"The tax money that comes in goes to the state," Drosd said. "The county may like the idea of having a film commission, but they don't want to pay for it because they don't get replenished."

The film office "can shout all it wants about all the money being brought in, but the fact is, the county itself is not benefiting financially."

Drosd made a point to educate county officials and the community of the benefits of a film industry, especially in the diversification of Kauai's economy. She also tried to settle conflicts before they reached a fever point.

"The objective is to make it all work, have the production go home happy and the community not feeling it was taken advantage of."

Drosd leaves following Kauai's second-highest year of production revenues ever recorded. (The highest year was 1997 with "6 Days, 7 Nights.")

"I've done the maximum to educate people about this industry with the (financial) support I've had, which was inadequate," she said.

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