URGENT: Save Ohio Film Jobs

Posted on May 2, 2019

The Ohio House has proposed ending the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit
as a means to help fund a reduction in state income taxes.

The Greater Cleveland Film Commission is reaching out to our state officials to strongly urge them to reconsider eliminating the tax credit and we ask our supporters to do the same. We believe to eliminate the tax credit is a GRAVE ERROR that will do great damage to our economy and to so many Ohio taxpayers who either work in media production, run a business that works with the media production industry or dream of someday working in this industry right in their own backyard.

THE SUCCESS OF THE OHIO MOTION PICTURE TAX CREDIT IS REAL AND DEMONSTRABLE.  The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) recently reported that nearly 35,500 people are directly and indirectly (hotels, caterers, carpenters, dry cleaners, etc.) employed by the motion picture and television industries in Ohio, with total wages earned exceeding $1.2 billion. We ask our state leaders to keep the incentive in place so we can continue to grow this industry and make Ohio a global production destination so that we can bring even more jobs and economic impact to our great state.

Are you an actor, crew member or vendor?
Tell your lawmakers how YOU will be affected if the film industry leaves Ohio.
  • Copy and paste the letter below into your email, personalizing the greeting for each recipient:
  • Copy and paste the letter below onto your company or personal letterhead and mail to the appropriate recipient.
  • Call the Governor, Speaker of the Ohio House and President of the Ohio Senate to express your support using the letter below as a guide for your conversation.
    • Governor DeWine – 614-644-4357
    • Speaker Householder – 614-466-2500
    • Senator Obhof – 614-466-7505
  • Share these social media posts to Facebook and Twitter, and use #SaveOhioFilmJobs

For questions, please contact GCFC President & CEO Ivan Schwarz at 216-623-3910 or [email protected]

We strongly encourage that you personalize your emails, letters, and phone calls.
Use this letter as a template. 

Dear Speaker Householder:

I write to you today with a profound sense of urgency as a supporter of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission and Ohio’s growing media production industry. It has come to my attention that your office has proposed ending the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit and consequently pulling the plug on a successful industry poised for even greater growth.

The success of the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit is real and demonstrable. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) recently reported that nearly 35,500 people are directly and indirectly (hotels, caterers, carpenters, dry cleaners, etc.) employed by the motion picture and television industries in Ohio, with total wages earned exceeding $1.2 billion.

This is a successful program that is putting Ohioans to work and putting hundreds of millions of dollars into their pockets right now. These aren’t just people working on movies and television shows, but also small business owners who have found a niche supporting this industry or whose businesses have found more paying customers from the growth of the industry in Ohio. Making media content is the manufacturing of the modern age, and it creates economic impact wherever it is fostered.

In 2008, Georgia passed a motion picture tax incentive that transformed their economy to the tune of $9.5 billion of economic impact in 2017 alone and made them arguably the media production capital of the world. New Mexico has seen similar success with their incentive. Netflix recently bought Albuquerque Studios and plans to invest over $1 billion in the state by driving production there.

I can personally attest to the incredible impact of this program. (Insert your story here.)

Growing this industry is a chance to grow something special in Ohio. This is a chance to stop our state from hemorrhaging bright, young people and keep them engaged – and employed – with an industry that’s not only hip and exciting but expanding by the day and filled with tremendous opportunity. The new film school at Cleveland State University has been designed from the bottom up to be one of the best in the nation and attract, train and retain the brightest young talent not only in Ohio but across the country. This is also a chance to bring skilled tradespeople back to Ohio to live, work, support local economies and pay state taxes.

I strongly urge you to reconsider eliminating the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit. To do so would be a grave error that would do great damage to our economy and to so many Ohio taxpayers who either work in media production, run a business that works with the media production industry or perhaps dream of someday working in this industry right in their own backyard.

Let us continue to grow this industry and make Ohio a global production destination so that we can bring even more jobs and economic impact to our great state.