October 08, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2010
Today Marks Two-and-a-Half Year Anniversary of Film Initiative
LANSING - Helping mark the two-and-a-half year anniversary of the Michigan film incentives, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm attended the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council (MFOAC) meeting today to discuss the economic impact the film incentives have had on the state. In its first two years the incentives have created more than 7,000 production jobs and by the end of the year more than $648 million will have been invested in Michigan by the film industry.
"We are watching an entire new industry emerge in Michigan," Granholm said. "The number of productions being filmed in Michigan is increasing, we are creating jobs and attracting production facilities, and we are keeping our young people here in Michigan. The incentives have provided important economic benefits for the state, while also helping to diversify our economy."
The film incentive initiative is attracting a wide range of productions to Michigan, including the new network series Detroit 1-8-7 and films including Real Steel, This Must Be the Place, Transformers III and 30 Minutes or Less. This year 38 projects have wrapped in Michigan, with eight other projects currently in production or pre-production. These projects are expected to bring in more than $300 million to the state by the end of the year.
"We know the film incentives are working, and today was an important opportunity to take stock of the tremendous progress we have seen in just two-and-a-half years," said Emery C. King, chairman of MFOAC. "The film industry has a bright future in Michigan, but we must continue to be aggressive in attracting these projects, and the jobs they create, to our state."
Several individuals spoke to Granholm and the council members at the meeting about their experiences in the film industry.
Kurt Peters of Chow Catering, (Clarkston) said the company found its niche catering to the industry. Work on films including Conviction, Stone, Hung, This Must Be the Place, and Harold and Kumar 3 accounts for approximately 80 percent of the company revenue and has afforded the company the equipment and resources to expand and grow. This includes building a commissary in Madison Heights, purchasing a second 30 foot truck and renting a long-vacant property. The company is expecting it will put $400,000 back into the economy by the end of this year, purchasing propane, supplies and groceries from local businesses and has hired up to 25 workers during busy periods.
John James (Livonia) a Teamster driver and transportation captain, lost his job in March, 2008 when Kroger moved its warehouses from Livonia to Ohio. After looking unsuccessfully for work in Michigan, John, a father of three, lost his benefits and was on the verge of losing his home before finding work as a driver on nine films including Youth in Revolt, Up in the Air, Hung, The Irishman, and Salvation Boulevard. John has also had a chance to move up the ladder, serving as transportation captain for Scream 4. Without the work in the film industry, John says he would have been forced to leave the state to look for work.
Dan Culpepper (Laingsburg) is a 2010 graduate of Ferris State University where he majored in television and digital media productions with a minor in film studies. Dan went to work in the West Michigan Film Office this past spring to fulfill a graduation internship requirement. Before he had even graduated, Dan was hired by Touchback as a locations scout in Coopersville and later as an office production assistant for 30 Minutes or Less. Because of the incentives, Dan hopes to stay in Michigan to pursue a career in the industry.
"These incentives are more than numbers on a page; they are helping real people find jobs, keep their business running and stay in Michigan," said Carrie Jones, director of The Michigan Film Office. "We know we have the best workforce in the world, and in just two years we are already seeing the infrastructure being built that will allow us to hold our place in the industry. We are showing the world that we are transforming ourselves based on our great heritage of innovation, and you cannot put a price on that."
The Michigan Film Office was created in 1979 to assist and attract incoming production companies and to promote the growth of Michigan's own film industry. In 2008, Governor Granholm signed the Michigan film incentives program into law as part of an economic stimulus package designed to grow the economy and create jobs in new sectors in Michigan. The program provides incentives for film, television and other digital media production in Michigan, as well as infrastructure development and workforce training.
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