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In November, Fallen Giant Films held its first annual showcase of Nebraskans working on projects, including student “shadows.” Some 600 people attended at the Holland Center, said FGF founder Randy J. Goodwin, who is shown on red carpet. (Courtesy of Bryce Johnson and Zach Wagner)
OMAHA — While working for decades in the bright lights of Hollywood, actor and director Randy J. Goodwin envisioned returning to his hometown to build a foundation on which Nebraska could grow its own filmmaking industry.
So when a Nebraska Department of Economic Development manager called the Omaha native in 2023 to say his plan was a perfect candidate for a multimillion-dollar state grant, he was thrilled yet skeptical.
But payments started to arrive, and he kicked into action.
The $5 million grant he received via the broader North & South Omaha Recovery Grant program set the stage for hiring a crew, including student interns, renting star-style quarters on top of a midtown Omaha high-rise and launching documentaries featuring local scenery and talent.
Goodwin — known for roles in Girlfriends, Vampire Diaries, Dynasty and Grey’s Anatomy — believes his “Nebraska film and TV project” could ignite billions in economic development and revenue, lure Nebraska-born actors home for special projects and train younger generations in front of and behind the camera.
“There is so much to this mission, and it’s not just about making films,” said Goodwin, 58. “It’s about giving people hope, making movies that make you cry, get angry, laugh and say, ‘Man I’ve got to up my game. I’ve got to be a better person.’ ”
But momentum has stalled at his Omaha Blackstone Plaza-based Fallen Giant Films production company — as DED has “suspended” its grant two years in and with about $1.7 million yet to be disbursed.
Goodwin says the state owes his company $605,000 from before the December notice of suspension, and unpaid bills are piling up, putting his operation at risk. He says stored film footage could be lost and he’s had to cut workers just when a major fundraising stage had started.
State points to noncompliance
Nebraska economic development officials, in response to questions from the Examiner, point to language in the grant contract that says allowable expenses must be reasonable and documented.
The suspension letter noted some incomplete, unsupported or questionable financial reports and costs dating back to 2024. It stated, for example, that “meals are only eligible under very limited circumstances,” and that justification for certain other expenses had yet to be provided.
Goodwin believes his company is being unfairly scrutinized and has asked Nebraska Ombudsman Julie Rogers to step in and investigate the department’s actions.
The dispute offers a behind-the-scenes peek at one of the most complex community-based grant programs the state has administered in modern times. The North & South grant effort — hatched in 2022, fueled by pandemic-era funds and shepherded early on by lawmakers that mostly have been term-limited out of office — awarded about $235 million in various allotments to some 130 entities, including Goodwin’s company.
Driving the program was a desire to grow historically disinvested areas of the state disproportionately harmed by COVID-19. Pandemic funds later were swapped with state funds to allow for more flexible implementation. Deadlines still loom for spending the grants officially awarded in January 2024 amid fanfare and media events led by the governor, Omaha mayor and lawmakers.
While controversy swirled and attention was shined early on the program’s sometimes disjointed grant-selection process, the Fallen Giant grant situation provides a look at the state’s follow-up and oversight. DED said it had not completely “terminated” any North & South grantee funding to date, though it said Fallen Giant is among three entities that have received noncompliance letters and have had funds temporarily suspended.
Dozens of other North & South grant projects are in motion — ranging from recreation, education, workforce development and cultural preservation efforts. As of the close of 2025, a program update obtained by the Examiner showed that nearly 70% of pledged dollars had so far been distributed to awardees.
The economic development state agency says recipients must follow reporting guidelines to receive monthly advance payments and that the state was available with technical assistance and to help grantees “cure any areas of deficiencies.”
‘Moving the goal posts’
In Fallen Giant’s case, Goodwin acknowledged record-keeping flaws by a manager. He said his team has been working to answer state questions, “cleaned up” bookkeeping and hired experts including a forensic accountant.
He says, however, that the state keeps “moving the goal posts” and he believes that state budget deficit woes are motivating the state officials to look for ways to clawback funds.
Goodwin said he hadn’t previously felt personally hindered by racism in Nebraska, though that feeling has changed. He asserts that reporting standards aren’t being applied consistently across North & South grant recipients.
“It’s utterly ridiculous,” Goodwin said, adding that crew members are being evicted for lack of paychecks. “It’s killing Fallen Giant’s credit. It’s killing my credit. We are going to lose some very important pieces we’ve built over the years. I think they’re just giving us busy work until we walk away.”
Whether grant payments are resumed or recouped “is contingent on Fallen Giant Films complying with the contractual obligations,” the DED said in its statement to the Examiner, noting that it offers guidance to grantees spending the public dollars.
DED officials say they have corresponded nearly two dozen times with Fallen Giant since the suspension, including an onsite technical support visit in February, but Fallen Giant says DED for the most part has given it the “silence” treatment lately and has shifted expectations. Goodwin said he hadn’t received what he considers technical assistance from the state and recently hired former DED workers to help sort though discrepancies.
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‘What is going on?’
A March 6 email from Fallen Giant’s production head to DED officials: “YET AGAIN SILENCE! This is a sad representation of an entity designed to help bring clarity to developing businesses.”
Two days before, the same person wrote to the DED, in part: “Since our temporary suspension we have addressed every single one of your requests. … What more must be done to move the needle? I am personally ruined financially because the DED dangled a carrot of promise in front of us while trying to remedy this situation for months … I haven’t been paid since November 1st.
“What is going on?”
Goodwin said DED has not alleged fraud, but did flag $1.2 million as unreported or insufficiently documented expenses. Fallen Giant said it provided receipts for about $400,000 and the remainder is “being reconciled.”
DED more recently has offered to release $65,215, despite the suspension, if the funds are used for specific costs such as the electronic Dropbox and other storage fees and key personnel.
Goodwin said the state continues to hold back the $605,000 he believes Fallen Giant is owed from months before the formal suspension.
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., has tuned in to the back and forth, saying, “It does not seem right to me.” He said he spoke to Gov. Jim Pillen’s staff and was told they were working on it.
Bacon said he’s impressed that Goodwin steered his career back to his roots and welcomes the effort to bring more visibility to Nebraska. He said the state would benefit from the talent and ideas of the actor and director.
“My heart goes out to the guy,” Bacon said, citing eviction notices and staff health insurance disruptions. “Once you make a commitment to someone, you’ve got to live by it.”
‘Time is of the essence’
In Fallen Giant’s plea to the state ombudsman, who investigates citizen complaints about state agencies, Goodwin asked for immediate review: “Time is of the essence.”
Concerns included “prolonged withholding” of contract funds, “retroactive suspension” without prior written notice. Goodwin contends that grant standards shifted after DED leadership changed.
The complaint noted that officials including Bacon, State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue and U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., have inquired or expressed support.
Goodwin’s vision is grand. In recent years he’s lobbied officials and spoken before legislative committees about creating tax incentives that could help the filmmaking industry take off and flourish in Nebraska.
He says numerous Nebraska natives have made it big in the movie industry, and he believes he can lure star power home for projects while helping to build an infrastructure that trains a new workforce and nurtures young creatives in the hands-on way he learned.
At a February 2022 State Capitol public hearing, he implored lawmakers in the words of character Jerry McGuire and actor Tom Cruise: “We are ready to go. Help me help you. Help me help Nebraska.”
The Nebraska Legislature in 2024 approved the Cast and Crew Nebraska Act, but Goodwin said lawmakers have yet to equip the program with tax credits that could make a difference.
Goodwin said he was counting on the $5 million North & South grant to launch his effort that he envisions expanding, with help from investors, to a larger site in northwest Omaha. He foresees classrooms, production areas and theaters to host film festivals and screenings.
“There is no doubt that by the end of next year, if we are able to continue, we will have raised a few million dollars,” he said. “In the beginning, we weren’t going after money, we were proving the model.”
Fallen Giant’s North & South contract called for development of at least three projects in qualified lower-income census tracts that focus on proving the viability of a professional film sector in the state, foster economic and job growth and youth retention.
It called for renovation of half of the 11th floor at midtown Omaha’s Blackstone Plaza for Fallen Giant headquarters, with at least 4,095 square feet for production offices and post-production facilities. Grant funds also were to cover expenses related to staffing, equipment and marketing of the inaugural projects.
Not giving up
Goodwin said he has more than three projects in progress, including a documentary series following the rise of Jaiya Patillo, an Olympics-bound young Nebraska track star, and what he called an Emmy-certified documentary featuring the multifaceted battle to build a football program from scratch at the new Omaha Westview High School.
He said some $3 million in taxpayer funds could be “wasted” if the project folds. But he said he is not giving up.
Said Goodwin: “My goal was not to be the guy who made a lot of money in Hollywood, but to be the guy successful enough to bring it home.”
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