by On November 10th, 2015, Grimm finally started production on its 100th episode, and the cast, crew, Oregon dignitaries, and NBC executives, were on set to celebrate this achievement. Congratulations to the entire cast, crew, producers, and writers of Grimm for reaching 100 episodes.
Check out some videos, featuring interviews and behind the scenes of the celebration, and articles regarding the 100th episode of Grimm and Portland.
Take a sneak peek at The Oregonian/OregonLive article.
Jim Kouf, co-creator of “Grimm” and one of its executive producers, said again that he and co-creator David Greenwalt view Portland itself as a character in the show. They wrote “Grimm” to take place in Portland, and were set on having the show film in Portland, he said, and they were relieved when NBC agreed to have the show film in the Rose City.
Speaking on behalf of the cast, Giuntoli said, “We’re just circus people,” who are “very grateful for our jobs.” That their jobs have taken them to Portland, Giuntoli said, was rewarding, especially since Portland is “so cinematic, so verdant, so strangely peculiar.”
Being in Portland, Giuntoli said, “has changed all of our lives,” as members of the cast and crew have gotten married, had children, and are buying houses here.
“From the bottom of our hearts,” Giuntoli said, “thank you, Portland.”
Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish announced that Mayor Charlie Hales had declared Nov. 10, 2015, to be “Grimm Day.”
Read the complete The Oregonian/OregonLive article, including Bitsie Tulloch’s story about a day during the pilot’s production, and more about the 100th episode celebration, and check out photos from the 100th episode event.
Take a sneak peek at the Portland Business Journal article.
Yet five years ago, when the show was being dreamed up by executive producers Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, the idea that NBC would greenlight a show that’s both set and produced in Portland seemed as distant from reality as the monsters that give the show its grit.
“I said (to Greenwalt), they’ll never let us shoot in Portland,” Kouf said. “Usually, you might set a show in Chicago or New York and go there to get external shots and then shoot (the rest) in L.A.”
Portland, though, had a greater disincentive than a Chicago or L.A. It was unproven ground when it comes to managing large productions, and an unknown when it came to depth in both acting talent and experienced crew.
“It’s really hard to start a show in a city that isn’t set up to produce something like this,” Greenblatt said.
What gave the idea legs was the Oregon Production Investment Fund, a state incentive program that provides film productions a 20 percent tax credit on all goods and services purchased in the state and a 10 percent tax credit on labor costs.
Kouf said as he was pitching the idea to NBC executives, one of them — Jerry DiCanio, an executive vice president of production at NBC Universal — said he had been looking for something to shoot in Portland.
“One of the reasons they said yes,” Kouf said, “was the tax incentives.”
Read the complete Portland Business Journal article, including the decision of shooting in Portland and Grimm’s impact on the city, and check out photos from the 100th episode event.
