Florida history series is close to shouting ‘action’

What a difference a year — and a $500,000 appropriation — makes.

Organizers and supporters seeking to turn the quintessential historical novel “A Land Remembered” into a television series gathered at the Historic Capitol on Wednesday evening to celebrate the project, which begins filming in March, with premieres of the first two episodes set for this Summer.

Independent filmmaker Todd Wiseman, Jr. is a native Floridian who spent several years in New York City and California honing his production, writing and directing talents before returning to his Tampa hometown.

He bought the rights to the story and then pitched the idea to Film Tampa Bay, who pitched it to RSA Consulting CEO Ron Pierce, who pitched it to Hillsborough County Rep. Danny Alvarez, who was able to rustle up support from his fellow legislators to approve the sizeable investment years after state funding to subsidize films had been cut off.

Film Tampa Bay matched the state’s half-million, which kick-started efforts to finance the series’ production, estimated to be $25 million for the first four-episode season.

Alvarez, who sponsored the appropriation that got the financing ball rolling, parachuted into the celebration after it started and quickly darted back out because the House was still in session.

But not before he heaped praise on the film project and his home state.

“The story of Florida is one of the most unique ones in this union. The story of Florida deserves to be told,” he told the crowd. “The fact that we’re gonna make this into a series … man, if you don’t want to be a part of it, I don’t know if you should call yourself a Floridian.”

“A Land Remembered” tells the story of the Sunshine State’s evolution through three generations of the MacIvey family, from the hardscrabble pioneer life of Tobias and his son Zechariah to the 20th-century business empire built by Zech’s son, Solomon.

The book, written by Patrick D. Smith, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize when it was published in 1984 and has never gone out of print. Smith was born in Mississippi and moved to Florida in 1966, though most of his other written works take deep dives into Florida history.

Over the years, the MacIvey story has been used to teach Florida history from fourth grade through high school. Part of the mission of the new film production is to create educational materials for the state, focusing on its agrarian roots.

Those roots are what inspired sixth-generation Floridian and cattle rancher Cathlee Tomkow (mother of seventh-generation Rep., now Senate candidate, Josie Tomkow) to dedicate herself to making sure “A Land Remembered” becomes a hit.

“One of the greatest things the writers have said is, ‘What “Yellowstone” did for the West, we plan to do for the East’,” she said. “Except Yellowstone is a soap opera, and we’re the true story.”

Although other states offer generous incentives to attract filmmaking, Wiseman insisted that it be shot here and that as much talent as possible — including actors and post-production — be used from Florida.

As an independent, Wiseman says he is not beholden to the studios’ process and strictures, calling Florida “the free state of filmmaking.”