April 02, 2010
April 2, 2010
In radio address, governor marks second anniversary of bill-signing that created program
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that Michigan's film incentive program is creating jobs today and for the future. April 7 will mark the two-year anniversary of the governor's signing of the legislation creating the program.
"When we created the film incentive program, we wanted to increase the number of productions filmed on location in Michigan, attract production facilities, create jobs, and train workers for those jobs," Granholm said.
"In the last two years, 89 movie or TV productions were completed in Michigan," Granholm continued. "These productions spent $348 million in salaries, goods and services, and they created jobs for more than 6,700 workers."
"Film studios and production facilities also are popping up in Michigan," Granholm said. "There's the 10 West Studio in Manistee and the Hangar 42 facility in Walker near Grand Rapids. Three more production facilities are scheduled to be built, representing a total investment of more than $300 million and projected to create almost 6,000 permanent, full-time jobs."
"We're also training people to fill the demand for jobs generated by Michigan's growing film industry," Granholm said. "This means our current generation of high school and college students won't have to leave Michigan to learn the skills needed to work in film or television or other digital media. So not only is the film industry providing jobs for Michigan workers today, it'll be a source of good jobs for our children in the future."
"Michigan's film incentive program has made our state one of the top three in the nation for the production of all types of media," Granholm said. "An entire new industry is emerging in Michigan, one that'll help keep our talented young people here. It's a great story - and maybe one worthy of the big screen itself."
Growing Michigan's film industry is part of a larger ongoing commitment by the Granholm administration to diversify the state's economy and create jobs. In addition to film, targeted sectors are advanced manufacturing, life sciences, clean energy, homeland security and defense, and tourism.
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available for download on the governor's Web site at www.michigan.gov/gov together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address also is available as a podcast on the Web site as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Radio Address - Film Program
Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov243Full_316576_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov243Edit_316577_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov243Quote_316578_7.mp3
Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Movies, TV shows, video games - they're all part of a growing list of things made in Michigan.
The Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino was filmed in Michigan, as was part of the recent movie Up in the Air starring George Clooney. The TV reality show Crash Course was filmed on Detroit's Belle Isle. And a Los Angeles-based video game developer has opened a second studio here in Michigan.
These are just a few of the many success stories resulting from Michigan's film incentive program, which is the most aggressive in the nation. I proposed the film incentive program in my 2008 State of the State address, and next week will mark its two-year anniversary.
When we created the film incentive program, we wanted to increase the number of productions filmed on location in Michigan and attract production facilities and create jobs and train workers for those jobs.
In the last two years, 89 movie or TV productions were completed in Michigan. Filming has taken place in 80 different Michigan communities throughout both peninsulas.
These productions spent $348 million in salaries, goods and services, and they created jobs for more than 6,700 workers. And these are good-paying jobs, averaging $49,000 a year in 2008 according to a study by Michigan State University.
Film studios and production facilities also are popping up in Michigan. There's the 10 West Studio in Manistee and the Hangar 42 facility in Walker near Grand Rapids. Three more production facilities are scheduled to be built, representing a total investment of more than $300 million and projected to create almost 6,000 permanent, full-time jobs.
We're also training people to fill the demand for jobs generated by Michigan's growing film industry. Last year, the Michigan Film Office created a new workforce training program that's available to any university, community college or private school in Michigan.
This means our current generation of high school and college students won't have to leave Michigan to learn the skills needed to work in film or television or other digital media. So not only is the film industry providing jobs for Michigan workers today, it'll be a source of good jobs for our children in the future.
Michigan's film incentive program has made our state one of the top three in the nation for the production of all types of media. An entire new industry is emerging in Michigan, one that'll help keep our talented young people here. It's a great story - and maybe one worthy of the big screen itself.
Thank you for listening.
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