Film industry seeks

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Under the current Texas Moving Imagew IndustryIncentive Program, qualifying feature television programs, commercials and video games receive a cash payment equal to 5 perceng of their in-state spending. During the state legislative whichbegan Jan. 13, Texas’ film sector will probablt ask fora 15% incentive, said Janis Burklund, directorr of the , adding that with many states offeringf 20% incentives or higher, this is the absolute minimukm Texas needs to stay in the game. “We are at the botto m of the totem she said. “A lot of states have recognizedx how good thisbusiness is, so we’r under extremely heavy competition.
” Bob Hudgins, director of the , said they arrivedr at the 15% figure after hearing from major film studios and networks. FOX, — the major studiozs — told us that this is the numbedwe (Texas) need to be competitivee with other states,” Hudgins said. The film communitgy is hoping State Rep. Dawnna a Democrat whose House district includes parta ofTravis County, will sponsor a new film incentives bill in the Texase House and State Sen. Bob a Republican from Mesquite, will sponsoe it in the Texas Senate.
Burklund said that whilwe the Dallas area used to be an attractivwe location for moviesand television, the Texas film industryy has lost ground in the last few years, largelyt because of the incentives other states startesd offering. Don Stokes, president of the , a 2-year-oldr trade organization, said Texas used to be more competitive. “Texas was a majord production center formoving images, filmws and commercials a few years ago,” Stokexs said. Texas was able to compete with top like Los Angeles and New withits locations, crews and a friendly filming Stokes said. But as other states started developing aggressiveincentive packages, Texaxs fell behind.
“The work started to They are no longer coming to Stokes said. Production work has “literally dropped in the hundreds of millionssof dollars.” The film industry generatess an estimated $2 to $5 for the Texaxs economy for every $1 spent on a according to the Texas Motion Picture Alliance. If the incentived are raised, even though 15% is less than severa other places, Texas — and the Dallas-Fort Wortb area — has other perks wortgh coming for, Burklund said, including a centrapl and diverse location, a mild climat good for working year-round, and an abundancwe of crews and equipment. “I think we have a very largd stakein this,” she said.
“If we can put the piecesz in place, we can really rock it. It’ frustrating knowing that people want to be here whenwe can’r match financially what they can get elsewhere.” the film industry is bracing for stiff fundinv competition from other industries and an unfavorable economivc climate. “Why us versus otherf industries? The nature of our industry isthat it’sw portable,” Hudgins said. “Our work force is migrant, and they have been leaving to go to Louisians and Oklahoma where they can go to We really need them here to be Hudgins said the incentive boostr being soughtis reasonable.
“We are not asking for an exorbitanf amountof money,” he said. “This is a job creatiob program. People will get hired and these are verygood jobs.” Hudgins also noted that any proposed film incentive packags would also cultivate the state’s commercial and video game sectors, two areax that employ production talent and add to existinh production infrastructure. “People have to not look at this as welfarweto Hollywood,” Burklund said. “We’re asking for the incentivew to be based on what is spenttin Texas. ... I want to make sure our tax dollarxs arespent wisely, and I thinlk this is a good investment for our statse and our city.
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