The Plight of U.S. Film and Television Production As one in a 4-part series of panel discussions held across the country, The Creative Coalition's event in New York revealed that countries like Canada, England and Australia offer appealing money-saving opportunities based on exchange rates, labor rates, and most significantly, tax incentives -- which result in a severe loss of income for workers in the USA. Moderator and Coalition President, William Baldwin(who recently had a baby), stirred up an articulate and well-informed panel:
Actor, Writer, Director, Producer: Dianne Ladd Actor Tony Goldwyn made an opening speech which succeeded in gaining the interest and understanding of a concerned audience. "The commerce department estimates that this year alone, 2001, $15 billion dollars is falling out of the U.S. economy, between the wages and the ancillary effect on small businesses and lost tax revenues...The people on whose back we all make a living are really suffering. The film crews. Not only that but the small businesses that have money pumped into their economy when a film comes to town."
The day after the event was September 11th. How this tragedy and its after-effects will influence the issue of film and television production in the U.S. is not yet known. Stay tuned.
For more information, visit the website of The Creative Coalition.
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