Rivkin delivers opening keynote address at annual convention of the Association of Film Commissioners International
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Kristen, for your warm welcome and for your leadership at Film Cincinnati.
Thank you to Jaclyn and the entire AFCI team for organizing this gathering and for inviting me to join you today on the campus of UCLA – a fitting location not only as a premier beacon of higher learning, but as home to the country’s largest archive of motion picture and broadcast programming, outside the Library of Congress – and the world’s biggest university-held collection.
This institution understands the contributions of the industry promoted and strengthened by the MPA, by film commissions, by studios, by all of us here: What it means. Why it matters. How this industry has remained a pillar of prosperity and possibility for this city and all our cities and countries around the world.
And because we’re on her home turf, allow me a moment to acknowledge my colleague, and yours, Ambassador Colleen Bell.
As you know, she did a fantastic job as a key U.S. ambassador. And she has brought many of those skills home to L.A. where she leads the Film Commission in a state synonymous with our industry:
A state where our industry directly employs over 250,000 workers in good-paying, often union jobs, and supports well over 700,000 jobs and $70billion of wages
A state where, thanks to Colleen, Governor Newsom, Mayor Bass, state legislators, and more, our industry boasts a bright future.
I take a good deal of pride in what Colleen and I have in common:
Two former ambassadors who advocated for American values and interests overseas then returned stateside to advocate for film and television.
Two public servants – both with roots in the entertainment sector – who appreciate what you, our global collection of film commissioners, believe in:
The power of film to fuel economic growth and drive job creation. To lift the workforce and raise wages. To enhance communities and enrich cultures. To inspire creativity and ignite competition.
All of us, in this room, act on that faith day in and day out.
At the Motion Picture Association, our goal is to open doors for studios and casts and crews to make extraordinary movies and TV shows. We do so by pursuing smart policies and regulations at the local, state, and national levels, at home and abroad.
On film commissions, your objective intersects with ours. Your purpose is to attract productions to your backyards; facilitate their entry into your towns and countries; inform them about policy changes and benefits; connect them with crews; and serve as stewards of a healthy ecosystem where storytellers can flourish and thrive.
Where our work truly converges is where the impact of our efforts matters most:
On sets, where writers, directors, actors, designers, and more take their ideas from script to screen.
In households, where filming provides a family with a paycheck and a source of stability, with the means to put food on the table, with a livelihood earned bringing stories to life.
In communities, where productions support good jobs, higher pay, increased economic activity, and expanded opportunity.
And by the way, that doesn’t just benefit the stars we see on the red carpet. It reaches construction workers and caterers, electricians and hairdressers, set builders and small businesses and artists and other behind-the-scenes folks playing vital roles in the movie-making process.
At the end of the day, that’s what counts:
The people – the workforce behind our extraordinary stories.
The people – the communities reaping the rewards of the investments needed to tell these stories.
The people – the audiences inspired by these stories.
That’s what stands front and center when the MPA partners with film commissioners and lawmakers to make the space for our creative community to do what they do best.
One of the ways we meet this shared mission is through advocacy for production incentives and film tax credits.
And soon, Olsberg SPI will release an updated study, commissioned by the MPA, demonstrating how these key policy tools impact communities everywhere for the better – how they translate into real jobs, real economic activity, real benefits in cities, towns, and provinces worldwide.
As this white paper shows, the last seven years have seen production incentives increase by 38 percent globally, and that’s because officials correctly see these programs as significant drivers of economic dynamism in their jurisdictions.
Many governments and legislators view these incentives as flexible and effective means to draw inward investment and stimulate production in their backyards.
They see how those investments lead to more skills development and job creation in the digital sector. How they bolster their brands and boost tourism. How they lead to more employment for writers, musicians, artists, and others in the screen sector – as well as more spending on outside businesses like hotels, transportation services, laundry, security, and on and on.
Taken together, this adds up to what researchers call a “notable impact on economic output” – and the data bears out the success of these initiatives.
Nearly everywhere we look, in U.S. states and in countries crisscrossing the planet, the evidence shows how each dollar invested through these incentive programs yields multiple dollars more in benefits to the local marketplace.
For instance, in Georgia, every dollar invested in their incentive program yields over six dollars in economic benefits.
In Norway, the return on investment is just under five dollars.
In Australia, it’s nearly six dollars.
In Iceland, it’s closer to seven dollars.
And in New Mexico, it’s roughly $8.40 in added economic value on the ground.
These facts and figures just scratch the surface, and they speak to the broader effects on a community anytime a crew comes to town.
Again, numbers tell the story:
Around the world, a major feature film production pumps $1.3 million per shoot day into local economies and employs nearly 1,500 local workers.
And the average MPA member company series production spends nearly $49 million over the course of a location shoot globally, and that includes upwards of $26 million in local wages paid to more than 1,850 local workers.
Simply put, when we evaluate the full panoramic view of our industry, a clear picture emerges: these incentives work.
These measures are valuable.
These actions are worthwhile and critical. Not just in making a market more attractive to a studio or a creative team. But in spurring growth, prosperity, and opportunity far beyond any set or sound stage.
So we have a positive story to tell. Yet that doesn’t mean everything is perfect or easy or straightforward.
We live in a time of change and upheaval, in entertainment and beyond – and none of us can, or should, ignore what we’re up against right now in our industry.
In many respects, the headwinds are strong and unrelenting: the pandemic and its aftermath; labor negotiations and their impacts on production timelines; the disruptive force and path-breaking potential of new and emerging technologies – all of it is creating what feels like a new normal.
And that can be difficult and scary and unsettling.
But here’s a constant to keep in mind: this industry has a long, deep, treasured tradition of resilience – and an unmatched ability to adapt, innovate, persist, persevere, and continue delivering growth and opportunity to our communities.
Here’s something else to think about: audiences worldwide still want to be awed, amazed, and entertained by brilliant ideas and breathtaking performances, whether they start out as local productions targeted for people in Seoul or Madrid or Buenos Aires or Melbourne or anywhere else.
Because great stories, well told, transcend borders.
And here’s one more thing to remember, perhaps the most important piece of this puzzle:
Filmmakers will always be on the lookout for the perfect location, for skilled crews and actors, for ideal scenes and settings, for the chance to fill our screens with incredible stories never before conceived, witnessed, relayed, or told.
Filmmakers will always need an effective MPA advocating for their rights and freedoms – and strong film commissions helping them navigate the local landscape.
Filmmakers will always need organizations and leaders like:
Film Albany working with local and state government to turn New York’s capital region into a backdrop for 19th century epics or 1970s thrillers or intense car chases and more.
Or Creative BC ensuring that British Columbia remains one of the world’s top destinations for production.
Or the Colombia Film Commission transforming an emerging market barely on the radar ten years ago into a regional hub for audiovisual production.
Or Screen Ireland helping bring Irish lawmakers and the MPA to the table to boost and strengthen the country’s film tax credit.
Or Ausfilm playing an instrumental role in charting a course on location offsets that’ll mean more jobs and more growth and more investment in Australia.
I could go on and on for a while extolling everything you do – quietly, consistently, effectively – to strengthen this industry. Examples abound from across the globe.
But the common thread binding it together is our unified commitment to what production means, what creators do, and what our industry is at its best:
An economic engine.
A vehicle for inspiration, education, and illumination.
A driver of cultural resonance and richness.
A source of pride and prosperity for families, workers, business owners, casts, crews, studios, audiences, and neighborhoods the world over.
All of us are part of this community of creativity. All of us have a stake in the cause of a more robust, open, free space to make and share incredible stories.
All of us have a common interest in shining a bright light on the vital work of film commissions. And all of us must, and will, keep working hand-in-hand to deliver jobs and opportunity for people across the globe.
Thank you for being our partners in that pursuit.
This article was first published on MPA