Small Businesses Urge Ac1on on the Pending Expira1on of Film & Television Produc1on Program
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Small Businesses Urge Ac on on the Pending Expira on of Film &
Television Produc on Program
March 9, 2021
The Honorable Karen Spilka The Honorable Ron Mariano
President of the State Senate Speaker of the House of Representa ves
State House State House
Boston, MA 02133 Boston, MA 02133
Massachuse s State Senate Massachuse s House of Representa ves
State House State House
Boston, MA 02133 Boston, MA 02133
Dear President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, and Members of the State Legislature:
We write as local businesses to respec ully urge your mely ac on to remove the impending
expira on of the Film, Television and Streaming Produc on Incen ve program.
Our businesses, some of which didn’t exist just a few short years ago, are part of an
infrastructure and ecosystem that has grown and matured as our state has become a prime
des na on for lm and television produc on. If the produc on incen ve expires, the
investments and jobs it creates will leave Massachuse s. Many small businesses like ours will
wane and be forced to close their doors. By removing the expira on clause, you will instead
create new investments in soundstages, equipment, and workers; and bring more mul -year
episodic series to plant a stake in Massachuse s, crea ng even more businesses and jobs.
The incen ve program is working exactly as it was intended
The lm incen ve program has accomplished exactly what it was intended to do. Established in
2006 to a ract feature lm produc ons to Massachuse s, it has built an industry and generated
the economic ac vity that comes with it. Objec ve data of the credit’s success is compelling:
Over 270 lms and television and episodic series have been produced
Filming has occurred in over 225 ci es and towns
Produc ons have spent more than $2.8 billion in Massachuse s
Goods and services have been purchased from local small businesses in over 270 ci es
and towns
It has created many thousands of new good-paying middle-class jobs
There are now more than 50 high tech post-produc on and visual e ects companies
across Massachuse s employing more than 550 highly skilled workers.
There are now more than 2-dozen Massachuse s colleges and universi es that have
academic programs in lm, television, and media produc on. There are over 4,000 lm
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tiand media students who now have a career path in Massachuse s. These students no
longer have to move out of state for jobs.
Many local vendors, suppliers, and services like ours that support the industry didn’t exist when
the program went into e ect. Now we employ workers across Massachuse s; post-produc on
and special and visual e ects work that had to be shipped out of state in the past is now done
here by Massachuse s-based companies; and our ever-growing infrastructure supplying the
industry with soundstages, ligh ng, rigging equipment, trucks and trailers, and set decora on
and props con nues to grow exponen ally.
The program generates a wide economic footprint across the state
A rst-of-its-kind study analyzing the economic impact of lm/TV/streaming produc on in
Massachuse s was recently conducted to measure the impact of this new trend in the
entertainment industry. The study, conducted by Industrial Economics Inc, (IEc) analyzed the
produc on of Hulu’s Castle Rock, Season 1. It found that just one season of the produc on for
Castle Rock:
Created 1,026 FTE jobs
Generated $69 million in economic ac vity
Spent monies in 210 ci es and towns across the state
72% of expenditures directly impacted the state economy
Generated $4.73 of economic ac vity for each dollar spent by the state in an cipated tax
credit
The sunset is a barrier to capital investment right now
There is signi cant demand for more local studio and soundstage spaces. Many of our
businesses are ready to make major investments in new infrastructure, equipment, workers,
and capacity to grow the local lm and television industry. But the scheduled end of the
produc on incen ve puts these substan al investments at risk. Businesses will not invest in an
industry that’s scheduled to disappear. At a me when Massachuse s needs economic s mulus
the most, the uncertainty created by the rapidly approaching sunset of the produc on incen ve
is preven ng job-crea ng investments now.
If the credit ends, the investment and jobs will leave Massachuse s
Massachuse s competes with dozens of states that have lm and television produc on
incen ve programs. A state without a program is simply not considered for lm and television
produc on investment of any kind.
The Massachuse s industry’s exper se keeps bringing producers like Ne lix, Apple TV, Disney,
HBO, Hulu, and Warner Brothers back – crea ng signi cant economic impact that con nues to
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tibuild the industry that supports so many small businesses and family-sustaining jobs. Without
the program, the state will lose that investment and those jobs to other states.
The demand to produce new content is strong and we are poised to capture it
While produc on halted for months in 2020 due to COVID-19, consumers devoured content
from their homes like never before, streaming lms and television series across an expanding
landscape of subscrip on services. As a result, there is now an intense pent-up demand for
quality streaming content.
Because we have successfully created a sought-a er industry here, and safely reopened our
economy, we are poised to sa sfy that demand and capture the industry growth that will bring
even more investment and good-paying jobs to Massachuse s for years to come. But without
elimina ng the sunset of the produc on incen ve now, con nued investment in Massachuse s
by Ne lix, Amazon, Apple TV, Disney, HBO, Hulu and others, will cease and go elsewhere and
thousands of current and future local jobs will follow.
Support small businesses, create jobs and build careers when we need it most
The local lm and television industry builds small businesses and creates thousands of good-
paying jobs for working middle-class residents. Thousands of lm and media students who
graduate from Massachuse s colleges and universi es can now establish their careers right
here in the Commonwealth. These are the kinds of jobs the state needs to grow our economy
and recover from the COVID-19 economic crisis.
If the roadblock of the impending expira on date is removed, the lm industry can help lead
Massachuse s in economic recovery, crea ng thousands of good-paying jobs and suppor ng
local businesses when they need it the most. But if ac on isn’t taken very soon, the Film &
Television Produc on Incen ve program will end and the local lm and television industry, and
its jobs, businesses, and contribu ons to our economy, will disappear.
Sincerely,
Brenda Anderson Dorothy Au ero Laura Azevedo
Owner Producer Execu ve Director
Trail Head Ou i er & Red Hawk Entertainment Filmmakers Collabora ve
General Store Watertown Melrose
Orange
Julie Arvedon Knowlton William Aydelo Peter Bars s
Owner/Cas ng Director President Partner/Editor
Slate Cas ng Waverly Mo on Pictures EditBar LLC
Boston Weston Boston
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ttWilliam Beautyman John Cini Brian Drewes
President President Founder
Limelight Produc ons, Inc. High Output, Inc. ZERO VFX
Lee Canton Boston
Andrew J Boles Gary Crossen Mark Eagle
Owner General Manager Principal
Above the Line Produc on New England Studios The Eagle Leasing Company
Rentals Devens Southborough
Westborough
Deirdre Cullen William Earon
Ma hew Bouldry Owner Managing Director
President 2MIX Interiors Coastal Capital Advisors, LLC
CP Cas ng Needham Boston
Salem
Eric D'Amario Dom Fillion
Jack Bradley Principal/Execu ve Producer Crea ve Director
Partner Wanderlust Content, Inc. Konvoy
HiFi Project Holliston Quincy
Boston
Derrick DeLu es Mike Fiore
David Cambria Owner/Execu ve Producer Owner/EP
Treasurer Lunchpail Produc ons, Inc. 44-1
Red Herring Mo on Picture South Boston Lincoln
Ligh ng, Inc
Boston Tom Derian Debra Franchi
Owner Partner
RJ Casey Cer ed Cleaning Co. Inc Bone de Produc ons
President/Execu ve Wilmington Boston
Producer
Redtree Produc ons, Inc. Dus n Devlin Elizabeth Fullerton
Cohasset Partner/Director Manager
VAGRANTS Hollywood Salvage LLC
Glenn Chalek Somerville Westborough
Execu ve Producer
Chandelier Films Dan Diaz David Hartman
Marblehead Manager Execu ve Director
Westerman Props Massachuse s Produc on
Hope Chudy Worcester Coali on
Proprietor Cambridge
Downstairs at Felton
An ques
Waltham
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tiRichard Hawke Kaitlin Keleher Robert Larkin
Director of Photography Execu ve Producer, TV & Senior Sales Manager
Hawke Commercial Podcasts Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Filmmaking America's Test Kitchen Boston
Boston Boston
Joan Laws
Erin Hayes Bob Kelly East Coast Director of
CEO Execu ve Director Services
MEDIABOSS NewTV American Residuals & Talent
Framingham Newton Sharon
Paul Heinzelmann Ken Kingdon Lisa Lobel
Owner Execu ve Producer Cas ng Director
SetMD Soundtrack Group Boston Cas ng Inc
Boston Boston Boston
Bryan Hinkley Sco Knowlton Eran Lobel
Owner Owner CEO/Execu ve Producer
Gra tude Sound LLC Conductor Produc ons ELEMENT
Boston Boston Boston
Guy Holt Allison Kramer Vanessa Lonborg
President Partner/Execu ve Producer Owner/Execu ve Producer
ScreenLight Produc ons Inc. Hero4Hire Crea ve S r Films LLC//Sweet Rickey
Watertown Waltham Boston
Will Humphrey Andrew Kukura Rui Lopes
Partner/Execu ve Producer Principal Founder/CEO
Windy Films Northern Light Produc ons Anawan Street Produc ons
East Boston Boston Brockton
Rudy Hypolite Lyda Kuth John MacNeil
Producer/Director Execu ve Director Manager
Kreateabuzz Documentary LEF Founda on Green eld Produc on
Films LLC Cambridge Services
Stoughton Canton
Gary Land
Je Jacobson Owner Tim Mangini
President Gary Land Photography Senior Director of
Clocktower Tax Credits, LLC Quincy Produc on Technology
Maynard GBH Educa onal Founda on
Boston
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tiRaná Mar n Jeremiah Niez Joshua Pressey
Execu ve Producer Structural Engineer Owner
PS260 Hopper Engineering Village Film & Video, LLC
Boston Associates Belmont
Oxford
Carmen Ma uchio Sco Regan
Owner Deborah Noll Senior Account Execu ve
Burne & Moynihan, Inc. VP Client Services Marrio Hotels
Revere Boston Produc ons, Inc Interna onal
Norwood North Reading
Tim Mazzie
CEO Steve Oare Phil Reilly
RSIG Security Inc Execu ve Producer Owner
Marlborough Old Harbor Produc ons, Inc Specialty Equipment LLC
Allston Roslindale
Mike Moloney
Founder Joel Olicker Chad Robinson
FilterGrade CEO Partner
Dorchester Powderhouse Kevin P. Mar n & Associates
Belmont Danvers
Michael Moore
Regional Systems Division Melissa Paradice Steve Robinson
Manager Owner/Cas ng Director General Manager
Barbizon Light of New Paradice Cas ng SGPS ShowRig Boston Inc.
England, Inc. Quincy Framingham
Woburn
Kevin Parker John Rule
Noreen Moross Owner President
COO/Execu ve Producer Parker Audio Inc Rule Boston Camera
Another Age Produc ons Brook eld Newton
Newton
Barry Perla Abe Sands
Craig Murphy Treasurer Execu ve Producer
President Atlan c Tent Rental, Inc. Trident Post Produc on
CRG Graphics Leominster Quincy
Malden
David Porter Jennifer Sargent
Ken Ng Owner/President Owner
Director of Marke ng & Mix One Studios HayRoad Produc ons
Commerce Brighton Belmont
Mandarin Oriental, Boston
Boston
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tiFarshad Sayan Joseph Swi Dave Waller
Owner President Manager
Clevergreen Cleaners Crystal Ice Company Brickyard VFX
Medford New Bedford Boston
Jon Sharpe David Talamas Susan Walsh
President President Execu ve Director
United Staging & Rigging Talamas Company Inc Center for Independent
Haverhill Newton Documentary, Inc.
Boston
Jamieson Shea Jonathan Tapper
Chief Execu ve O cer Owner Nicole Ward
Owl Tree Produc ons, LLC Home Decor Group Co-founder/DP
Leominster Chelsea Opalite Media
Chelsea
Meghan Shea Carl Turner
Co-Founder/Director President Sam Weisman
Persistent Produc ons Turner Steel Co., Inc. President
Rockport West Bridgewater Thunder and Lightning, Inc.
West Newton
David Shilale Bret Upham
GM/Execu ve Producer Producer Kevin Wells
Viewpoint Crea ve Finish President
Newton Boston Video Express
Boston
Gregory Smith Catharine Uyenoyama
Execu ve Producer Produc on Manager Frans Weterrings
GLP Crea ve DGA Produc ons, Inc. President
Quincy Watertown Red Sky Studios
Allston
Tom Sprague Timothy Van Pa en
Owner Manager/Part Owner Malik Williams
Museum of Broadcast Central Booking Service Execu ve Producer/
Technology Canton Composer
Brookline Liptunes Music/Reel Sync
Irene Wachsler Music
John S mpson CPA/Managing Member Randolph
Owner Wachsler CPA, LLC
H9 Films LLC Burlington Andrew Wilson
Worcester Owner/Agent
Andrew Wilson Agency
Hingham
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