Fortune Favors the Bold, Film and House Bill 196

It was a beautiful day in Northeast Ohio when I saw Spider-man dragged up the street by a truck. Not the normal sight on Euclid Avenue, but a glorious one to me. I am a local film & commercial technician who works on film crews. I was employed on the big-budget film set for Spider-man 3, along with many of my Ohio associates. The Northcoast became Hollywood.

That was over two years ago.

Since then, only a handful of shooting days have graced Cleveland and the Buckeye state, making it tough to earn a living. We have had to make due with smaller commercials, industrial videos, or shoots that are out of state. Other states around the country have enjoyed visiting productions with long shooting schedules and many dol lars pumped into the local economies. How big is the difference? Here's an example:

When a crew is driving to location, the locations department usually sets up signs to follow. Makes it easy to find your place of employment, seeing that lone sign reading "To Set." Recently I visited Louisiana, a state with an aggressive tax incentive. I pulled up to a stop sign that read like the sign post from the show M*A*S*H*. I had to read each sign's production name to make sure I was following the right path.

What are we missing here in Ohio? Two words: Tax Incentive.

Ohio is one of only a few states left in the country that does not have a tax incentive for film productions.&n bsp; Some states, like Louisiana, Michigan, and New Mexico enjoy dozens of movie and television productions per year.

Tax incentives are what lure films to these states. Productions can save millions of dollars by filming in tax friendly states, while at the same time contributing to the state's local economy. Ohio has been fighting an uphill battle. Our state's film commissions have been trying to attract productions for years. Without any state incentives, though, they're in a boxing match with both arms tied behind their back. Hope is on the horizon, though.

House Bill 196 is designed to authorize a tax incentive for motion picture productions in the state of Ohio. Just last week the bill was passed out of the Ways and Means committee to the House floor for a vote this coming Tuesday, Dec 2nd. While congressional support of the bill seems likely, Governor Ted Strickland has all but publically said he will veto this bill.

Ohio is dying. Along with folks from many other industries who are moving away from here, many veterans of the state's film & video industry have left for greener pastures. They've left, travelling to states that actually support motion picture production as, what some have called a "recession-proof" industry.

A robust film industry would mean skilled, taxpaying technicians could remain in the state, earning a good wage. It would mean young graduates wouldn't have to automatically leave the state to work in film. It would mean a permanent infrastructure would be built in the way of equipment rental houses, studios and post production facilities. It would also mean the economy at large would benefit by supporting the visiting productions including, hotels, cabs, restaurants, clubs, security, construction, and many more.

A tax incentive is not about "giving Hollywood a discount." Supporters of HB 196 are not trying to give Ohio a leg up on the competition. The train has already left the station. Last week, Illinois renewed their state Tax Incentive. Every state that borders Ohio has a tax incentive already in place. HB 196 would actually let Ohio in to the game. It is my hope, and the hope of many, that the Strickland/Fisher administration's political opposition will subside. HB 196 is about growing Ohio.

As the country wades through the current economic crisis, it is clear that the old models of business need to be revamped. We must be creative and bold to kick-start our economy, and be prosperous once again. I would love to have the dilemma of too many productions to work for. Too many film jobs to choose from. I would like to be driving through Cleveland, and see our own production signpost.

Sincerely, and full of hope,
Adam White
Ohio film producer and worker
hemlockfilmsATaol.com
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