Creative Economy & Film

Broward Days 2010 Legislative Team - Creative Economy & Film

Team Leaders: 

Earl F.  Bosworth, President, Art Serve 954-462-8190 x204, earlb@artserve.org

Elizabeth Wentworth, Chief Officer, Film and Creative Economy, Broward Office of Economic Development and Small Business 954 357-6148, ewentworth@broward.org

Team Members:

Mary Becht,  Director, Broward County Cultural Division; Mark Budwig, President, S. Mark Graphics;  Dr. Amy Friedman Phillips, Program Chair, Digital Media and Film, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale; Leah Sokolowsky, Film Florida Legislative Liaison and Location Manager;  Melinda Lee, Executive Director/Vice President, Bank Atlantic Foundation, Ed Stamm , General Manager, Arri-Camera Service Center;  Sula Miller, Film and Creative Economy Specialist, Office of Economic Development and Small Business; Jan Goodheart, Vice President of External  Affairs, Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Mission:

Create awareness that in order to create jobs, Florida’s Economic Stimulus initiatives must include incentives to attract the film and television industry and financial support for cultural development. The team will promote the importance of creativity to economic competitiveness and tourism as well as civic life and urban vibrancy.

Issues: 

The Film and Television Industry is a proven revenue-attractor and job creator.  It is an industry that can and should be a part of any stimulus plan to bring Florida out of its economic decline.   The industry currently accounts for 207,800 jobs with an average salary of $57,700 in Florida.   Due to financial incentives offered to the film industry in the rest of the world we are fast losing our industry’s infrastructure, including crew that are forced to move if they want to support their families.      So we urge legislators to:

• Support the final house and senate bills that fund the Entertainment Industry Financial Incentive in the form of a Tax Credit at the requested amount of $75 million a year for three years.    The House Bill 697 and companion Senate Bill 1430 creates a consistent and competitive film and digital media tax credit that has a proven record of attracting and growing the entertainment industry in numerous states throughout the nation. This incentive will level the economic playing field and allow Florida to take advantage of its existing talent pool while continuing to build digital media entertainment production clusters.

Broward’s not-for-profit arts and culture industry sustains and creates Jobs, builds diverse and innovative state economy, expands tourism,  develops strong and effective private-public partnerships and gives Florida the competitive edge to attract and keep key businesses.

• The top priority is for the State of Florida to begin to restore its investment in the Department of State grant line items for arts, cultural, historical and humanities resources.
• Encourage further economic-and –job development by investing State funds in pre-approved lists submitted by the Florida Department of State for cultural and historical capital projects and cultural endowment matches.
• Support the following key legislative issues that impact Florida’s arts, arts education, and cultural resources and the citizens and visitors of our state they help educate, enlighten and entertain.

• Restore State funding for arts, cultural and historical grants
• Maintain tax-exemptions for not-for-profits.
• Protect arts education for students.
• Preserve art in state buildings program.
  

Date Submitted: 02/17/10