Orlando Southwest - Issue #11 (January 2020)

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OFM_Feature_2020_ForecastFINAL_SW_Pages 12 / 23 / 19 10 : 34 AM Page 4 and three other business leaders to identify star - ing affordability in Orlando over the next year . Stina D’Uva , president and CEO of the West tups and real estate in these opportunity zones “ It’s going to require more than a year before Orange Chamber of Commerce , says the industries that will produce strong returns for investors . Central Florida gets off the bottom of the list of she thinks will continue to flourish in west Orange Brim says Orlando is the right place for this having one of the worst housing crises as a major County include information technology , medicine fund right now because it’s a growing city that is metropolitan area , ” he says . and construction . on the rise . Having been president of the West Orange “ There’s a lot of good momentum happen - E C O N O M Y Chamber for 18 years , D’Uva has seen how much ing , ” he says . When the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the area has evolved . One focus of the fund is to support Central passed in 2017 , a new program was created to “ Now we include Horizon West , which 18 Florida’s help spur investment in low - income communities years ago was just in its infancy , ” she says . “ So , startup companies , particularly tech and by designating them as “ opportunity zones . ” there’s a lot more geography to be covered and di - tech - enabled ones . These zones , which are based on census tracts , versity in types of industries . ” “ There’s a lot of talk around how do we sup - give investors tax breaks for funding business ven - She predicts that many of the families moving port startups , think second - stage companies , in - tures or real estate projects that are located within to Central Florida over the next year will choose stead of just recruiting bigger companies and hav - that community . West Orange as a place to call home . ing them bring jobs here , ” he says . “ How do we The city of Orlando has 12 designated op - “ It will continue to be the help these companies that are already here grow ? ” ght - after place sou portunity zones , while Orange County has 24 . Brim anticipates funds like his and the Op - for people to move to , ” she says . Within Orlando city limits , those opportunity portunity Zones Program will elevate Orlando’s The population boom in Central Florida is an - zones include neighborhoods such as Colonial - startup tech community and get more investors other piece of evidence that Orlando’s local econ - town South , Holden Heights and the to take a look at Central Florida in 2020 . omy is strong , Cole says . o SoD “ I think we’ll see more people investing in “ We are a growing area , ” he says , adding that District . Orange County areas with opportu - qualified opportunity funds like ours , ” he says . the region needs to be preparing for its future as a nity zones include Pine Hills , Apopka and “ I think that we’ll see more people evaluating more populated city . Eatonville . startups . ” One way to do that , he says , is to make sure David Brim , chief strategy officer for the Or - Andrew Cole , president and CEO of the East everyone is counted in the census that starts next lando Opportunity Fund , believes these oppor - Orlando Chamber of Commerce , is also optimistic year because that will determine the funding that tunity zones have the potential to advance the lo - about Orlando’s economic outlook for 2020 . Central Florida’s counties and cities receive in the cal economy and help communities that have Industries in Central Florida future . been historically left behind . that he expects “ There’s a lot of potential , ” he says . “ But we With this in mind , the Orlando Opportunity to grow in the next year include e - commerce , vir - need to make sure that we’re set for it . ” Fund was formed in November 2019 by Brim tual reality and gaming . ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM january 2020 ORLANDO FAMILY 39

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OFM_PEOPLE_Saint_Motel_0120_DEPT 12 / 23 / 19 10 : 08 AM Page 1 LE get there in the morning , start writing , whatever kind P of just popped in , you know , then go to lunch and then EO write some more and then go for a hike and then come P back.There was a very routine schedule to it to see how that would affect the writing process . And I think it was a good exercise for my mind . Most of the album was written up in those mountains . Then part two , or phase two , was we took over a studio space and started dissecting songs and jamming on them a little bit with the full band . You guys are about to embark on a tour . Are you excited to get back out on the road ? Yeah , absolutely . There’s things I think that I very much do look forward to and things that I’m not as psyched about . I think for me it all comes down to the show . And our last tour was called the Late Night tour and that was , I think , the best tour we’ve ever done . And it was so much fun to do every night . And I think putting on something that is new and challenging is A GOOD TIME what keeps it exciting . I think initially when you’re a band first starting out , even playing 50 minutes away Saint Motel is pushing boundaries and from where you live is a crazy novel experience . But at this point , we’ve been a band for a bit of time where By Brittany Ann Morrisey having fun while doing it . we’re going back to these places . And to capture that feeling of new , for me , it’s trying to figure out a way to ritics have called the music made by Los Angeles - based band do what we’ve done for so much of our lives in a way Saint Motel many things , including garage glam , indie pop and that is new for us and new for the audience and pushes funk rock . But if you ask lead singer A / J Jackson , he’ll sum it up the creative boundaries . C as “ a good time . ” And that may just be the most accurate description for I read that you put on enthusiastic stage everything this band does . With catchy songs , elaborate album concepts performances . Would you describe your stage and enthusiastic stage performances , Saint Motel just wants to have fun . performances that way ? Yeah , I mean , I guess ; I don’t know . I kind of black out on stage and the primal A / J comes out and movies kind of way and we released it with film score The band , which also includes Aaron Sharp on he’s just excited that people showed up and is so transitions . … So guitar , Dak Lerdamornpong on bass and Greg Erwin there’s a complete cinematic film score overwhelmed with joy and adrenaline . It’s very on drums , got its start in Southern California when component to this album and we [ are releasing ] it in much like Clark Kent and Superman and it’s a Sharp and Jackson were both in film school . The three parts , like a three - act movie structure . So each one different person than offstage . And I guess I would say group released its first EP ForPlay in 2009 . After a has its own little arc , but it is being released kind of enthusiasm . Sure . Yeah . I get filled with some sort well - received debut album , the group gained wide in the same way a movie structure would be done . of incredible excitement when I play live . recognition for “ My Type , ” a song that features horns , saxophone and a catchy chorus shouted by all the It’s interesting to me that your last album was What can fans expect from The Motion Picture band members . called saintmotelevision and this new one goes our , which kicks off in January ? Show t Saint Motel’s latest tour is in support of its newest to cinema . Was it a conscious decision to go We’re going to be playing a mix of songs from every - album , The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , from the small screen to the big screen ? where , from part two of this new album all the way which is being released as a series of EPs , and will It was . … It’s the next logical progression . And it also back to ForPlay . I think it’s going to be a good mix bring the band to The Plaza Live on Feb . 4 . kind of ties into our film school origins and all that of all eras of Saint Motel . And I would describe the According to Jackson , the show promises to be an kind of stuff . … It’s its own thing that is the next log - show as an immersive cinematic experience where “ immersive cinematic experience , ” something that ical progression without being too tied into what you will be part of the movie , if that makes sense . I sounds certainly doable for a band that also came before . It’s its own next step . ated cre can’t give too much away , but it’s going to be unique . saintmotelevision , the first ever album to also be a com - When plete virtual reality experience . we expect part two of the album can Have you guys played in Orlando before ? Before setting out on tour , Jackson spoke with to drop ? Only once actually . We opened for Panic ! At The Orlando Family Magazine about holing up in a cabin We are trying to figure that out exactly right now . I’m Disco in Orlando . Florida has always been really fun to write the band’s latest album , pushing creative guessing right when the tour starts . for us to play in , but we’ve never done a headline tour boundaries and how he comes alive on stage . there and we’ve always wanted to . … When we played What is the song writing process like for foon in Orlando last time , my family — my parents live in Saint Motel ? Your latest EP is called the Original Motion Laf Florida now — they came up and they met us and some For this particular album , I rented a cabin in the Picture Soundtrack : Pt . 1 and this release is atie other family friends . And after the show we went to eat mountains and set up a studio there and it was just the first part of what will be your newest C by nearby the arena . It was so cool . We had a great time peaceful and quiet and there would just be deer and album . With a title like that , can we expect phy there . … But there’s a lot of Orlando left to explore and bears . … It was , you know , after we finished about Saint Motel to bring us a cinematic universe ? ogra Florida in general and we’re very excited to finally be four years of solid touring , and so I wanted to put some You can . Yep . So the first thing we did was we put hot doing a headline tour down there . kind of routine and order to it this time . So I would out a trailer like a movie trailer for it and it’s a classic P 40 ORLANDO FAMILY january 2020 ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM

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