Film and television studios, unions, guilds, film commissioners and entertainment industry groups have launched the U.S. Film and Television Production Coalition, a united front as a U.S production incentive begins to take shape.
The group launched on September 15th along with a new study by consultancy Olsberg SPI commissioned by the Motion Picture Association laying out substantial economic benefits through 2035 of a hoped for 20% federal tax credit that could be “stacked” onto state benefits to curb runaway production.
The report said the credit could create $250 billion in additional gross economic value and support an annual average of 143,50 additional jobs across the country. Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin unveiled the report at a press conference, joined by Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA), Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA), the Director’s Guild of America’s Thomas Schlamme, IATSE’s Matthew D. Loeb, Sean M. O’Brien of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and SAG-AFTRA’s Sean Astin.
“Sixty-five countries have decided it’s worth competing for film and television production. The United States hasn’t, and too many Americans have lost their jobs because of it,” said Rep. Friedman. “Every production that goes overseas takes electricians, carpenters, drivers, and small business revenue with it. A national film tax credit [is] a commonsense, bipartisan fix, and I’ll keep working to get it done.”
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