Space Coast Chapter President’s Message – May 2010

2010 Rally in Tally in support of the Entertainment Production Incentive

          This past April 19^th & 20^th I visited Tallahassee to rally support for the Entertainment Production Incentive bills (Senate Bill 1752 and House Bill 697).  I had the good fortune of meeting up with our State Film Commissioner, Lucia Fishburne, and former State Film Commissioner, Paul Sirmons, in the Film Commissioner’s office and we had a very positive discussion regarding the proposed incentive and the impact it is expected to have on production in Florida.  Space Coast Film Commissioner, Bonnie King, joined us for lunch as well as several other county film commissioners.  The following day I met with several of our Brevard legislators, and along with Film Florida representatives, we met with the aids of other legislators to voice our support for the production incentive bills.  Our message was heard and the legislation passed.

Entertainment Production Incentive passes

          This legislation will provide a needed production incentive to keep Florida competitive with incentives offered by other states.  From a recent Film in Florida statement:

“Entertainment Industry Financial Incentive Program: A five-year, $242 million transferable tax credit incentive program for Florida’s Film and Entertainment industry will induce over $1.2 billion in direct spending by entertainment production companies into Florida’s economy. Tax credits are awarded after certified projects complete production and submit a final report.  The total amount of tax credits authorized under this bill is $53.5 million for Fiscal Years 2010-11, $74.5 million for Fiscal Years 2011-12 and $38 million for each of Fiscal Years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.”

          Why is this important to us?  Many of us want to advance in the entertainment production business, and this brings work opportunities to our State.  It also provides indirect jobs such as shooting ‘making of’ productions, one of which I had the good fortune to work on several years ago.  It keeps resources such as sound stages and equipment supply businesses in Florida.  Perhaps most importantly it keeps a talent base employed in Florida that will keep our business vibrant for the future.  The most important aspects of this bill are the multi-year commitment and the substantial dollar level of the incentive.

          The Film Commissioner’s office will be defining specifics regarding how to apply for and qualify for the tax credits over the next few weeks.

Space Coast Chapter Video, “Follow Your Dreams” by Sue Dontell

          This year’s first production by the Space Coast FMPTA chapter began shooting May 2^nd with the final shoot day May 16^th.  This is a great opportunity to get exposed to a real production in a hands-on way.  Though this production has been cast and the production crew is set, we are expecting to have future productions.  If you are interested in the production business for profit or just for fun, getting involved in a future production is a great opportunity.

Chapter Board of Directors’ Meeting

          Our next chapter Board meeting will be Monday, May 24^th at 7:00 PM (a week early due to the Memorial Day holiday the last Monday of the month).  All our board meetings are open to all members.  May’s meeting will be at my office (4450 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., #220, Melbourne 32934).  Attending a board meeting is a very good opportunity to get some real world insight to how an organization operates.  If you’re interested in developing your leadership skills how would learning the way the FMPTA board operates help you?

Bill Williams,
President FMPTA,
Space Coast Chapter
Bill@ACutAboveVideo.com