The New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission has won funding for the 2003-’04 fiscal year (see story, p. 1). Several months ago, the New Jersey filmmaking community started an intense lobbying campaign to point out to legislators the importance of the film commission to the state’s economy. The grassroots effort sprung out of the fact that the very existence of the New Jersey film office was being threatened by state budget cutbacks.
But ultimately, even with an overall budget deficit in the billions of dollars, New Jersey opted to maintain funding for its film commission at the same level as that for the recently concluded fiscal year (July 1, ’02-June 30, ’03). The decision was based on the film office’s performance. For example, on an annual budget of some $400,000, the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission had a hand in facilitating, attracting and expediting nearly 700 projects in the state during ’91, infusing some $63 million into the New Jersey economy. The return on investment over the course of the film office’s history—which dates back to ’77—is a staggering 10,800 percent.
Meanwhile in Oregon, the state budget is still being hammered out and hadn’t been finalized at press time. There are varied proposals relative to the Oregon Film Office, ranging from no funding whatsoever to about half of the previous allocation. The jury remains out on that film commission’s fate.
As earlier reported (SHOOT, 7/4-17, p. 1), the Minnesota Film and TV Board has managed to survive. The longstanding film commission won a $175,000 allocation in the overall state budget for the current fiscal year (July 1, ’03-June 30, ’04). However, that funding is about half of the operating budget that the film office had in fiscal year ’02-’03.
The Minnesota film office played a key role in bringing some $54 million worth of production-related business—spanning features, TV and commercials—into the state during fiscal year ’01-’02. That exponential return on a six-figure budget investment, said Minnesota Film and TV Board executive director Craig Rice, more than justifies the pressing need for a well funded state film commission.
As other state film commissions have done over the last several months, the Minnesota Film and TV Board made the case for its existence to the governmental powers that be. Contributing to that effort in Minnesota was Kathy DiToro, executive VP/director of broadcast production at Campbell-Mithun, Minneapolis. She spearheaded the production of a short video that showed how imperative it was that funding for the Minnesota Film and TV Board be maintained.
During the production of that promotional film, DiToro told SHOOT that filming in the state is a clean, non-polluting industry that creates jobs and income tax revenue, and generates money for crew people and local businesses (hotels, restaurants, dry cleaners, etc.). She added that having a filmmaking/arts community helps to draw new residents—and more talent and resources—into the state.
"The loss of the film commission would result in the loss of filming here," related DiToro. "This in turn has a debilitating impact on the community or ecosystem of people who are part of this industry. Filming breeds an infrastructure of qualified talent that helps to draw more business, but if we let that infrastructure or ecosystem die, Minnesota will lose out in the competition for filming, resulting in the state’s economy and people getting hurt significantly."
