Brenda Sexton is putting a good face on Bob Hudgins' departure. Hudgins, who lost the job of managing director of the Illinois Film Office to Sexton two years ago, abruptly left his position as assistant director March 10. That left a hole amidst a large film office staff that one industry executive kindly calls "underutilized."

But Sexton, who was quoted as being "personally devastated" by Hugdins' departure, is spinning the story as an opportunity for her staff to "ratchet up and take more responsibilities" and "get elbow deep in the nuts and bolts of the production business."

One can only imagine the staff meetings in the Film Office on March 11.

Joe Amari, who has been with the IFO for 13 years, will be sharing Hudgins' duties with Todd Lizak, who is the government liaison. They will be assisted by Lisa Banks, who was Hudgins' intern.

Industry insiders were disappointed in 2003 when Gov. Blagojevich appointed Sexton rather than Hudgins to head the IFO. Her selection was seen as purely political, a nod to her ex-husband, Blair Hull, and his campaign contributions.

Two years later, though, Chicago's film industry professionals have much praise for Sexton.

"It would be hard to find anyone who could be a more effective representative for Illinois," said Wayne Kabaki, vice-president of Essaney Studio and Lighting Co.

"Brenda has the sales skills to sell us in Hollywood," said Eileen Willenborg, executive director of AFTRA Chicago and president of the Illinois Production Alliance (IPA). "And when she did land the production, Bob was there."

Hudgins' strength was in knowing both the ins and outs of the state tax incentive--passed two years ago and up for renewal this spring--and the nitty gritty of the film production business. He could take care of a company from start to finish.

Amari doesn't have film production experience and Lizak's background is in government, not film. Neither sit on any film industry boards or have done much industry outreach, including interaction with the IPA, which has emerged as the main lobbying group for film in Illinois.

Yet Sexton is optimistic that the two will be able to facilitate both the films that are here (Il Maré and Stranger Than Fiction are two of the larger films currently shooting around Chicago) and films that are looking to come here.

"We are going to be fine," she said.

"A critical, positive thing is that there was a two-year overlap from the time Brenda Sexton took the job and Bob's leaving," said Essanay's Kabaki. That's given Sexton time to learn the business and know what she needs from her staff.

One change brought on by Hudgins' departure is that the IFO will no longer do location scouting. Sexton said an IFO representative will "be in the car" while production companies are looking at preliminary sites and trying to decide if they want to film here, but the companies will now have to hire freelance location scouts to set up meetings and go through the details of negotiating.

Most production companies, said Sexton, are used to paying for preliminary scouts.

"That was Bob's background and it was a natural for us to provide," said Sexton. "I think it's unusual for a film office to provide actual scouting services."

Yet production people saw IFO's scouting services as part of selling the state.

"People don't decide to make their movies here because of marketing, they decide to make their movies here because people take them around and show them places where they could shoot," said one local producer.

How much slack the existing film office staff can pick up in Hudgins' wake can't be judged till the fall. If production picks up or stays the same, people will herald Sexton's management. If it drops, they'll blame the staff.

"What has distinguished Illinois for years with producers was the service that came out of the Illinois Film Office," said AFTRA's Willenborg. "Continuation of the service and the can-do attitude of the Film Office is important."

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has decided that their film office can't do. Tourism secretary Jim Holperin announced in October that he was eliminating the office as part of the 10 percent of budget cuts Gov. Jim Doyle asked from all of his departments.

The closing of the film office in Wisconsin will save the state $125,800, most of which goes to the salaries and benefits of the two employees, along with office support and a website. Wisconsin does not track people who come to their website for film-related help; nor do they track money that the film industry has contributed to the economy.

The film industry in Wisconsin is decidedly small. Every few years, a feature film like Amityville Horror or Mr. 3000 will shoot there, and they have some steady independent and commercial production. Mary Idso, one of the WFO's two employees, estimates that a production like Mr. 3000 generates about $7 million, resulting in taxes that are more than twice the film office's annual budget.

Yet the WFO's budget has dwindled since 2000 from $350,000 a year to the current $125,800 level. Idso and her officemate Scott Thom have been stripped of all travel and marketing money, making it hard to sell the state.

"It kept getting lower and lower in priority," admitted Holperin, who noted that the lion's share of film production is going to states that give tax incentives.

"What really moves the film industry are those credits," he added. "The filmmakers go where the money is and our legislature was not prepared to do that."

A bill died in committee during Wisconsin's last legislative session.

Holperin also noted that since they announced the WFO's closing in October, they have gotten very few letters or phone calls protesting the move.

"There has not been, frankly, a lot of advocacy to keep the film office."

The WFO will close as of July 1.