Oklahoma Film + Music Office director leaves state post for Cherokee Nation Film Office
After eight years during which Oklahoma's film and television industry has experienced unprecedented growth, Tava Maloy Sofsky has exited her state job as the director of the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.
But she will continue to play a lead role in the state's film industry: Sofsky was announced Friday morning as the Cherokee Nation's new film commissioner.
An Oklahoma native and Cherokee Nation citizen, Sofsky also will be the director of the tribe's film office.
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She reports to Jennifer Loren, director of Cherokee Nation Film and Original Content.
“Tava is among the top film commissioners in the world,” Loren said in a statement. “The fact that she is a Cherokee Nation citizen who has stood at the forefront of this industry further demonstrates the true breadth of talent inside Indian Country. We are excited for Tava to join us as we continue to grow and diversify the film and television industry in Oklahoma.”
During her time at the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, Sofsky oversaw the implementation last year of Oklahoma’s new $30 million annual film incentive program and helped expand the state’s talent and crew base and infrastructure. Over the course of Sofksy's tenure, the state went from zero to four Oklahoma certified sound stages and now boasts more than 25 Film Friendly Certified Communities statewide.
Among those four sound stages is the Cherokee Film Studios, Owasso Campus, which celebrated its grand opening in July.
The Cherokee Nation Film Office also launched in March a new incentive program offering up to $1 million in annual funding for productions filmed within the Cherokee Nation in northeastern Oklahoma. It is believed to be the first tribal film incentive program in the United States.
In her new role, Sofsky will oversee the Cherokee Film Incentive, among other initiatives within the tribal film office.
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“It is an honor to be selected for this position working with Jennifer Loren, which leads me to imagine endless possibilities we can accomplish together with our expanding team,” said Sofsky in a statement. “We are living in unprecedented times when the global motion picture industry is experiencing an increased demand for leading technology and diverse content."
Sofsky is a certified film commissioner with the Association of Film Commissioners International and has served over the years as a member of the Creative Oklahoma Advisory Board, the Oklahoma City Community College’s Film Advisory Board, deadCenter Film’s Education Advisory Committee and Metro Technology’s Digital Cinema Advisory Board.
She began her film career in Los Angeles after earning her bachelor’s in film and media studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has worked on major motion pictures and developed relationships with a wide network of filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and her mentor, producer Doug Claybourne ("The Fast and the Furious," "Rumble Fish"). Working with Claybourne on "The Mask of Zorro," Sofsky earned her first official producing credit.
"Through my work, I believe it’s important to empower people, whether it's an intern in our office, a student at one of our great universities, a community liaison who is full of pride desiring to showcase their town or city, or anyone wherever they’re at," Sofsky told The Oklahoman in a 2020 email interview.
"Movements can happen when people work together, and that is the beauty I get to see from my lens on every level."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma film commissioner leaves state job for Cherokee Nation post
