Shaun Silva: Striving To Elevate Nashville

Shaun Silva is one of Nashville’s biggest proponents, and is striving for growth in the local film and TV industry. “This isn’t about being the best in Nashville, this is about making Nashville the best it can be,” he assures. “I enjoy living in Nashville, so it’s in my best interest to try to elevate the industry here, so I can remain a part of this community. There are more opportunities for me elsewhere, but we can also find ways to create opportunities here.”

He encourages Nashville record labels and ad agencies to stop looking elsewhere for their visual needs and to look in their backyard. “There are plenty of creative people and creative companies in this town that can achieve, and have for years achieved, other companies’ goals and needs. Anytime these companies are looking for an advertising agency to take them to the next level and they look beyond Nashville, it hurts the local industry. We want those companies to help their own community thrive. Everybody needs to figure out why it’s important to take care of your own first.”

Silva believes creating stronger film and television incentives would help attract business to Tennessee. “It’s going to take a community of people coming together and figuring out what will convince outsiders that it is worth bringing a production to Nashville, instead of staying in L.A. or New York or Chicago or Florida. Everybody is watching the budgets and that’s important, so if we can help them save money or give them an incentive in a tax break, it would help get them here. That’s what’s happening in Atlanta, so people are picking Atlanta over Nashville. We have a really strong group at the film commission right now that are pushing for new incentives. If you are going to make a real impact, you have to look at the cities that have had success and figure out why. We’ve got a TV show named Nashville, so it makes sense to shoot it here, but if the name of that show wasn’t Nashville, it wouldn’t be here. Period. So it’s important that we all come together as a community who wants their industry to thrive and find ways to bring more work into this town. You can’t get comfortable. We have to build upon it.”

For the complete interview with Silva, pick up a copy of MusicRow’s June/July 2013 issue. It was mailed to subscriber members and is available at the MusicRow offices or here.