Chris Stelly Named Louisiana Entertainment Interim Executive Director

By Louisiana Entertainment

Chris Stelly Named Louisiana Entertainment Interim Executive Director

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret has named Christopher Stelly, Interim Executive Director of the Office of Entertainment Industry Development also known as Louisiana Entertainment, effective immediately upon Sherri McConnell’s resignation.

Over the last four years, Stelly has served as the Director of Film and TV where he has overseen exponential growth in the state’s film incentive program, developing it into a productive, credible and stable engine for Louisiana’s entertainment industry. When Stelly joined the department in 2004, Louisiana’s motion picture tax incentive program saw fewer than 35 applications a year. In 2010 alone, Stelly oversaw 141 incentive applications, with more than 100 productions underway in the state that year. Based on numbers of applications, the program is already predicted to outpace 2010 this year. In addition to administering Louisiana’s progressive and innovative tax credit program, he has become an invaluable technical asset to entertainment companies seeking to produce and to establish new businesses in the state.

A native Louisianan, Stelly is a dedicated supporter of the state’s continuously growing role in the global entertainment economy.

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Sherri McConnell, Louisiana Entertainment Executive Director, Leaving Post

After more than four years of working as LED’s Executive Director of the Office of Entertainment Industry Development, Sherri McConnell is leaving the post effective July 1.

Under McConnell's leadership, the industry has flourished, experiencing its fifth consecutive year of double digit growth. The office's holistic approach, supported by innovative programs and marketing efforts, has driven the development of an industry that creates over $1 billion of economic impact annually. In addition, McConnell spearheaded the development of a comprehensive, long-range strategic plan that has become the roadmap for the development of a sustainable entertainment economy in Louisiana (Building a Permanent Entertainment Economy). Today, Louisiana's entertainment programs are recognized as the gold standard in the industry and have been emulated by 40 other states nationwide.

Upon her departure from Louisiana Entertainment, and after some well deserved time off, Sherri McConnell will return to private consulting with a focus on creative industry development. Mac and Associates Consulting will launch at the end of the month. Sherri can be reached at sherri@sherrimcconnell.com.