Written by Skip Descant [April 19, 2011 / 2TheAdvocate.com]

Article submitted by Matthew Shirley, Leasing and Sales Agent for Saurage Rotenberg Commercial Real Estate

Set to disperse nearly $220 million in estimated incentives for film, music, theater and interactive media projects in 2010 alone, Louisiana is not only growing its wattage in the entertainment industry, but its stars as well.

“Our creative culture, that puts us in such a unique position,” Sherri McConnell, executive director of Louisiana Entertainment Industry, told the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday. “It is what every other state doesn’t have. It is what sets us apart. It is what gives us our competitive advantage. We take it for granted,” she said.

“But I assure you, it is truly our greatest renewable natural resource. And if we treat it like other natural resources, we can add value to it and export it, and it can be a very, very significant contributor to the state’s economy,” McConnell said, releasing a report that shows the state gets several dollars in return for each dollar in tax incentives it grants.

For example, the report says the economic impact created by 2010’s tax incentives alone is estimated at more than $1 billion.

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Matthew Shirley joined Saurage Rotenberg Commercial Real Estate in January 2011. Matthew is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in International Trade and Finance. While at LSU Matthew was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon The International Honor Society for Economics. Matthew’s professional memberships include the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS® Commercial Investment Division and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Saurage Rotenberg Commercial Real Estate is a member of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce (BRAC); the West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce; the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition; the Baton Rouge Better Business Bureau; the Louisiana Commercial Data Base (LACDB); and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Several agents, on an individual basis, are members of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors® (SIOR), the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM); the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR); and the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS® Commercial Investment Division (CID).