The New Sun Newspaper

Made in America:
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 and star of Law and Order: Sam Waterston
Producer: Amy Robinson
Academy Award-winning costume designer: Ann Roth
Commissioner of the NY Mayor's office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting: Patricia Scott

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.

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For more information, visit the website of The Creative Coalition.