Thank you for your time considering bill HB598. Bills such as this one open up our great state for competitive business, thus allowing freelancers like myself an opportunity to make a living at home. Over the years I’ve witnessed many talented individuals that call Virginia their home, forced to choose between the career they love and the state they love. We must make Virginia a viable place for our business. We are loosing too many great people, too many great opportunities, and too much local revenue. Please consider helping change that. We are proud Virginians who want to do our part in making this state a special place. We believe that through film we can do that, but we need your help. This bill can and will help that.

Good morning, distinguished Committee members, I write to you today in support of an issue that will play a vital role in reinvigorating the Virginia film industry, bringing jobs and revenue back to the Commonwealth. I am one of hundreds of workers in Virginia who benefited directly – and indirectly – in years past from Virginia’s support of television and movie production. Passing HB 598, the Film Industry Communities Zone; Local Designation legislation, is critical to the future of Virginia’s economy and helping workers like me. Consider my own story as a camera assistant. A few years ago, movies and television productions routinely came to Virginia. People like me enjoyed well-paying jobs that benefited ourselves and our communities in Virginia. But much has changed since Virginia’s film incentives lapsed. Workers like me must routinely leave Virginia to find work and practice our trade. Tonight, for instance, I am writing this while working in North Carolina, where I just wrapped a day of film production for a Netflix series. While I have been fortunate to still live in Richmond, many of my colleagues have been forced to move to North Carolina and other states to make a living. Skilled artists and technicians who love our state have moved away reluctantly – to follow the work and earn a living. This is a loss for Virginia on many different levels. There is an immediate economic impact. For example, today I saw hundreds of workers in North Carolina – not Virginia – earning good money and spending it in the local community. These are jobs and revenue that a few years ago could have been in Virginia. With this proposed legislation, this well-paying industry could once again return. Movie and film production could become much more common in the Commonwealth. The revenue impact of movie production snowballs throughout a community and the state. The impacts are far-reaching. Beyond tax issues, the potential tourism advertisement that comes from Virginia film goes completely muted without an incentivized reason to bring productions here. A lack of a visible film output in Virginia misses valuable opportunities to bring more public attention to the Commonwealth, with real world economic impact from both tourism and industry. The industry also directly drives the livelihoods, wages, and healthcare of those workers. Film production work often leads to union participation, which in turn subsidizes employee healthcare. However, union healthcare is dependent on participation. As industry opportunities diminish in the Commonwealth, film workers face rising costs of public healthcare options or risk losing their healthcare entirely. Healthcare achieved through union production lessens the burden of public cost health on state taxpayers while at the same time helping Virginia workers. To tie these thoughts together, tonight I write to you from North Carolina as one single member out of a production crew of hundreds of people. Crews of this size earn impressive wages, which are taxed by the state before they are spent on goods and services in the local economy. Instead of this happening in North Carolina, this should be happening in Virginia – and this legislation can help make that happen.

On behalf of the hundreds of Virginians who make their lving working in the film and television industry I encourage you to move this piece of legislation forward. Incentive packages like those covered by HB 598 make a huge impact on the viability of our state as a production hub. I am a life long Virginian and have only been able to stay here to practice and refine my craft because lawmakers in your position backed bills similar to this one. Additionally, there are young Virginians studying the craft of filmmaking, if we want this burgeoning talent, and their tax dollars, to stay in Virginia we must choose to invest in them and this field. Please support HB 598, the dividends are life changing.

Please support HB598. I’ve been an active member of the film and television industry in Virginia for over 20 years. I’ve worked alongside our talented technicians and crafts people on so many of the productions that have filmed here. We absolutely have everything it takes to be and stay competitive but only if we have your support. These productions give and put back into our communities immeasurably.

As a Director of Photography within the Film Industry for the past 40 years, I have worked on numerous films almost entirely shot elsewhere. Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, United Kingdom, South Africa to name a few. The primary reason being the tax incentives afforded to the production companies. 99% of the crews are always locals whom pay their mortgages, car payments, etc. There is no question that Virginia would be a sought after location as proven in the past, we just need to make it more inviting financially.

Please support HB598, as it is an essential component of Virginia's film industry. One of Virginia's greatest assets to film production are its diverse locations. There are few places in the country where you can shoot the ocean, mountains, cities, and farms, all within close proximity. Each of these locations should have its own zone, as to benefit the community as well as filmmakers. As a 25-year freelancer in the Virginia film community, as well as a small business owner that supports the industry, I kindly ask for your vote on this bill.

I am in support of HB 598. I've been in the film industry for 15 years. Locations are such an important component of filmmaking and bringing movies and television back to Richmond and Virginia. We have talented crew members in all departments who need full time consistent work. The great thing about tv/movies is that they give a huge economic boost to the neighborhoods they film in. The hospitality industry gains business alongside restaurants, theaters, bars, retail, and tourism.

As a local film crew member, I understand the importance and the impact our shows can make on the communities in which we shoot. I have worked on films/shows that have filmed all over the Commonwealth and know the crew and cast have contributed greatly to the municipal, retail, hospitality and service industries. Allowing the communities to find ways to bring this kind of work to their localities is empowering and a great way to stimulate our industry. Our livelihoods. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 598. I live in Richmond, VA and have worked on motion picture productions for twenty years alongside hundreds of hard-working local technicians, tradesmen, artists, coordinators, assistants, drivers, office staff, and other workers. Sadly, our once thriving industry is now stagnant because Virginia can’t compete with nearby states. Jobs, a talented workforce, recent graduates and dollars that could have been spent here are forced to go elsewhere. It’s disheartening when a movie or TV show that is set in Virginia is filmed in a nearby state because that state offers more flexible economic support . Virginia has EVERYTHING other states have (great crew, stunning locations, supportive small businesses, etc.); the only thing we lack is the legislation to support our industry. Please help put Virginia BACK on the list of economically viable places to bring film and television production. Please support Virginia’s current AND future workers and businesses by supporting HB 598. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Please support HB598! As a film location scout, I understand the importance of localities having the ability to offer their own incentives to attract film production. Film productions have a significant economic impact on the areas they film, especially for the local businesses. Also, film locations have been known to see a boon to tourism.