ROAD TO RENEWAL
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Film Day in Olympia
Join fellow film industry workers and Washington Filmworks for "Film Day in Olympia" on Wednesday, February 23 in support of HB 1554 and SB 5539, the legislation to renew the state's Motion Picture Competitiveness Program. The time has been changed from 10:00am - 2:00pm to 12:00pm to 4:00pm. The production incentive program remains the single best tool we have to win motion picture business in Washington and in this difficult economic climate, your support is critical to get the incentive program renewed.
If you have four hours to give to this effort, now is the time: We will need between 50 to 75 local film industry workers to volunteer for the Film Day event, to meet with legislators and share how the incentive program impacts the lives of Washington state cast and crew. If you are available and willing to help, please send an email to Info@WashingtonFilmworks.org with the subject line, " Film Day in Olympia." Please include your name, phone number (cell preferred), affiliation with the industry, your address and/or your Legislative District number (to find out who your elected officials are click here) in the body of your email. We will follow up with more detailed instructions. Thank you!
--Amy Lillard, Executive Director of Washington Filmworks
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Legislative Update
HB 1554 was voted out of the House Committee on Community Development & Housing today after being amended. The proposed increase in the size of the fund was reduced to $4M (from the originally proposed $7M) for 2011 with a $500,000 annual increase until the fund caps out at $5.5M in 2014.
SB 5539 - This bill was voted out of the Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce & Consumer Protection after being amended. The proposed increase in the size of the fund was reduced to $5M (from the originally proposed $7M) for 2011 with an annual increase of $500,000 until the fund reaches $8M in 2018.
HB1554 - This bill was voted out of the House Committee on Community Development & Housing today after being amended. The proposed increase in the size of the fund was reduced to $4M (from the originally proposed $7M) for 2011 with a $500,000 annual increase until the fund caps out at $5.5M in 2014
Both bills have now been referred to the Ways and Means Committees in the House and Senate. Your support of the legislation is critical to get the bill heard and voted out of these committees, which is required for the legislation to be considered for a full vote by the Senate and House. Please write your legislators and reserve your spot to participate in Film Day in Olympia on Wednesday, February 23.
Tune into www.tvw.org for live and archived feeds of legislative hearings.
Watch www.washingtonfilmworks.org for updates.
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TAKE ACTION - WRITE YOUR LEGISLATOR
We need to show all the support we can to prove to the legislators that this is important to you, our community, and our livelihood. Please take a few minutes to write your legislator and express how important this is.
Below are guidelines to keep in mind, along with relevant program facts, and linked here is a sample letter written by Dave Drummond, Location Manager for reference.
Please take the time to write your legislator today!
FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR:
Go to: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/default.aspx
HOW TO WRITE A LETTER:
A short, to the point email signals that you care enough about an issue to take the time to write about it.
Here are a few tips that will help get your message across:
- Write in your own words and style.
- Get to the point in the first sentence or two, and mention House Bill 1554 and Senate Bill 5539, which addresses Washington Filmworks and the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program.
- Incorporate key program successes: Immediate Job Creation, Family Wage Jobs, and without the incentive the businesses wouldn't come.
- If you can cite a particular instance in which Washington Filmworks has been helpful to you and others mention it.
- Make certain you tell the legislator that he or she represents you. If you have met the legislator or been a political supporter in the past, mention it in passing.
- Always end by asking the legislator for a response to let you know where he or she stands on the issue.
- If the legislator has helped you in the past or done something recently that you approve of, add a compliment about it.
- If the legislator responds with a message of strong support for your request, say thank-you in a short reply. If the legislator says no, it's sometimes helpful to respond by saying you are disappointed and that you hope that he or she will reconsider later or find other ways to help.
FACTS ABOUT WASHINGTON FILMWORKS FOR REFERENCE:
- Since launching the program in February 2007, a total of 59 projects have completed principal photography including 23 feature films, 4 movies of the week for television and 32 commercials.
- These 59 projects have spent an estimated $55M in our statewide economy.
- Citing a nationally recognized economic development model, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) suggests that film industry spending has a multiplier of 1.99, meaning that the program has generated more than $109M in economic activity over the past four years.
- As WF has committed $14.3M in funding assistance and brought in $109M in economic activity - that represents a 7:1 return on investment (ROI).
- Washington Filmworks creates immediate jobs for Washington workers. Once a project is approved for funding assistance, they typically go into production within 30 days.
- Washington State is the only program in the country that requires a production to provide health and retirement benefits for all positions typically covered by a collective bargaining agreement.