Mitch Perry Report 10.9.14: Without incentives, Tampa wont see very much of Bryan Cranstons Infiltrator Posted By Mitch Perry on Thu, Oct 9, 2014 at 8:37 AM Its being hailed as a big deal in the local dailies this morning, but the fact is that although the Hollywood production of The Infiltrator (starring Bryan Cranston) will be coming to Tampa next year, its only to do some exterior and interior shots, with the bulk of the production to be filmed in England. No doubt its a boost for the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media commission, now led by Dale Gordon. But hopes to bring most of the production to town fell through last spring when the state legislature opted not to put a dime into a tax incentive plan for TV and film productions, something noted by Gordon yesterday. “Due to the lack of state incentives, it is incredibly challenging to attract a production of this size and magnitude to our market, Gordon said in a statement yesterday. Fortunately, our community partners and local leadership, including Commissioner Ken Hagan, Mayor Bob Buckhorn, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and Visit Tampa Bay, have demonstrated a strong commitment to growing this high-impact industry and positioning Hillsborough County as a competitive destination for feature film production.” Sarasota Republican state Senator Nancy Detert pushed for those tax incentives in this years session, and has promised that it will be the first bill she introduces in 2015, including extra language that sets aside 20 percent for underutilized counties. Thats important, because the thinking goes that one of the reasons state lawmakers arent totally motivated to pass such legislation is that the majority of the productions will go to the places where Hollywood has traditionally come in Florida — Miami and Orlando. Then theres the whole issue of whether or not film productions truly are a boost to the economy. The idea that they are great for states led to an arms race in the aughts, an attempt to compete with incentives offered by Louisiana and Michigan, which have hosted loads of productions in recent years. But the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reported in 2010 that such subsides simply dont pay off for the states. But Hollywood and show business are powerful, and its certainly something that business and political leaders in the Tampa Bay area have made a commitment to. And its absolutely a great boost for some local actors and those involved in the industry. And who doesnt want to have Ben Affleck direct and star in Ybor City in Dennis Lehanes Live By Night sometime in the next couple of years? Without film incentives, however, that aint about to happen.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 18:55:58 +0000
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