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Creating Jobs Depends on our Willingness to Compete

Creating Jobs Depends on our Willingness to Compete

There is good news to report about keeping film and television production jobs in Los Angeles and California. Tax incentives approved by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year are working. According to a state report, 60 productions that threatened to leave California are staying local, a strong statement about the value of competitive incentives.

Runaway film production has long threatened this signature industry of Los Angeles and California. Over the years, other states and countries have developed extensive tax and financial incentives aimed at luring entertainment jobs away from California. And those efforts were paying off for states like New Mexico and Louisiana, while California cities watched the jobs disappear. Every year, the Chamber and the California Film Commission suggested competitive incentives to even the playing field, but lawmakers in Sacramento argued over whether to offer any retention incentives at all. Fortunately, the long-sought film retention tax credits were enacted last February, following a strong push by local lawmakers led by former Assemblymember and now L.A. City Councilmember Paul Krekorian.

The year-end numbers tell a good story. The 60 productions that qualified for the incentives will generate more than $710 million in spending this fiscal year, with $310 million in direct wages to workers on those productions. This includes wardrobe specialists, special effects artists, script supervisors, production assistants, caterers, camera operators and a whole host of related jobs that make up the backbone of the entertainment industry. These productions have added 673 filming days across the state which means that many other local businesses like restaurants, hotels, dry cleaners and retailers will also benefit.

This success reinforces the fact that attracting and retaining jobs in California — and Los Angeles
depends on our willingness to roll out the red carpet and compete against other regions that are hungry to lower their own unemployment rates by luring job creators away from California. In this competitive economic environment for companies and cities, attention, incentives and bureaucratic streamlining are wise investments in our economic future ... and a necessity to put the citizens of Los Angeles and California back to work.

And that's The Business Perspective.

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Incentives in the state of California benefit many. Like the state of Michigan, we had lost an incentive for the film and media producers, though the emphasis is returning. Going through education a student will find it difficult to engage directly if they are not a hundred percent engaged and cognizant as a student must be of their direct field. Pursuing a degree in media, pointed information regarding specifics is a necessity none-the-less detrimental should any one specific lack. In a meeting today with John Roston from Warner Brothers he told me: "Your cuts must be perfect, your work must be quality." - John Roston
Posted by: William Fitzpatrick @ 7:26:00 pm

I have sent emails to our Governor, basically stating"We need all levels of government assistance to bring back the entertainment industry not only back to CA but our Country U.S.A. that has been leaving FOR SEVERAL YEARS!!!" Just because he is in government now, he needs to remember his rewards from the entertainment industry and all of those industries effected- many industries behind the scenes. Also banking and credit card companies utilizing other countries for customer service calls (jobs, any American would not mind having). And I personally asked customer service reps. their est. wages and was told est. starting was $10. to $12/hr.
Posted by: d @ 2:41:00 pm

I do not see government incentives as competition. We should be lobbying the Federal Government to outlaw these incentives so local governments will stop wasting their money trying to give away more than the next government. On the international level, incentives by Canada should violate Free Trade laws. The role of government should be to level the playing field not tilt the scales.
Posted by: Alex MikoLevine @ 1:17:00 pm