W.Va. denies tax credit to MTV show producers

The West Virginia Film Office has denied tax credits to a company planning an MTV reality series, citing concerns that the show "Buck Wild" will negatively portray the state's young male residents.

Director Pam Haynes tells The Charleston Gazette that New Remote Productions Inc. applied twice, in May and July. It was denied both times.

The Film Industry Investment Act offers tax credits of up to 31 percent for companies that film in West Virginia, but Haynes said the law is clear: Participation is prohibited for derogatory productions.

The executive producer of "Buck Wild," J.P. Williams of Parallel Entertainment, is a native West Virginian best known for creating Blue Collar Comedy. A publicist said Tuesday that Williams is not available for interviews.

Haynes said filming is set to begin next spring in Sissonville and Charleston.

In a news release, MTV programming head David Janollari said the network has ordered 12 episodes of the show portraying "the colorful antics of a group of friends just out of high school."

"We know that showing unique slices of youth culture on MTV is something that resonates with our audience," Janollari said. "With 'Buck Wild,' we'll give our viewers a singular and fun glimpse at this generation's experience as we go into Appalachia to capture the lives of a loveable group of dynamic young people."

It's not the first time West Virginia has battled stereotyping on camera.

In 2002, a public outcry prompted CBS to drop plans for "The Real Beverly Hillbillies," which was to feature residents of rural Appalachia plunked down in the middle of Beverly Hills.

In 2003, the horror film "Wrong Turn," shot in Canada, was set in a hypothetical West Virginia, where cannibalistic mountain men terrorized lost tourists.

And in 2008, state leaders responded vehemently when a casting company looked to West Virginia for extras to play inbred degenerates.

Still, the state has had its share of positive exposure.

Last year, Paramount Pictures shot the summer blockbuster "Super 8" in Weirton, the same town that was used for some scenes in the classic Vietnam film "The Deer Hunter." The 2004 film "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" was partially shot in Fayetteville, which stood in for the Putnam County town of Frazier's Bottom, where the script was set.