Howard County says it’s ready for its close-up.

County leaders have assembled a 13-member task force to develop a strategy that will position Howard as a leading destination for filmmaking in Maryland and the mid-Atlantic.

The Film Industry and Location Marketing, or FILM, task force will meet monthly through the summer to produce an action plan, including recommendations for building a sustainable local film economy, according to a county news release.

County Executive Calvin Ball believes film production is an untapped sector of Howard’s arts economy, he said in a statement.

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The idea for the task force came during a recent trip that Ball took with the Baltimore Metropolitan Council to Savannah, Georgia. He visited the film school at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he learned more about the work of the Savannah Regional Film Commission and the role local efforts can play in advancing economic development through the film and television industry.

The task force’s work “will further expand economic opportunity, support our local workers and creatives, drive tourism and local spending, and showcase the unique assets that make our county so special and great,” he said in the statement.

Maryland has offered a tax credit to film and television productions that shoot in the state since 2012. Officials estimate it has generated about $1.5 billion in economic impact. Notable productions include “House of Cards,” “Lady in the Lake” and “Special Ops: Lioness.”

Howard has “extraordinary potential for filmmakers of every scale,” task force Co-Chair Robert Neal Marshall said in the release. The casting director, producer and actor said he’s worked on major productions that have filmed in Howard, including the HBO series “Veep” and “Game Change.”

“I’ve seen firsthand the creative energy and vital economic impact that film brings to our community,” Neal Marshall said in the release.

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Other members of the task force are:

  • Visit Howard County executive Amanda Hof
  • Howard County Economic Development Authority CEO Jennifer Jones
  • Howard County Arts Council board member Theresa Colvin
  • Maryland Chamber of Commerce executive Mary Kane
  • Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce executive Dewan Clayborn
  • Howard County Chamber of Commerce executive Kristi Simon
  • Production design professional Chester Stacy
  • Columbia Association Director of Communications Julie Miller
  • The Collective Hospitality Group Managing Partner Demitian Gilbert
  • Department of Recreation & Parks Director Nicholas Mooneyhan
  • Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits Director Bob Frances
  • An unnamed designee from the Maryland Film Office