Michigan’s film tax incentives is helping local workers find jobs

For a long time Neal Garron was one of Michigan’s many unemployed. A husband and father of four, Garron, 40, had worked as an assistant in a recording studio making $9 an hour until he was laid off nearly two years ago.

Garron struggled to find another job and even considered starting his own business. “I thought I would start a small little studio in my house but nothing really came of it,” he said.

In the meantime, his wife Shelly worked two jobs to make ends meet. Then Garron heard a few advertisements on the radio for opportunities in the emerging film and entertainment industry in his area.

Thanks to generous tax incentives, many filmmakers have been encouraged to come to Michigan, bringing lot of film and television jobs with them. Programs like the ones at the Center for Film Studies and Film Industry Training help local job seekers learn the skills they need to be competitive for those jobs.

Using a loan from his wife’s 401(k), Garron signed up for a two-week course. It was a big gamble, but one that Garron was confident would pay off. His program led to a series of internships and also valuable contacts.

“It’s not like getting a job at a factory or something like that,” Garron explained. “It’s a who-you-know business.”

After the producer of an upcoming television show contacted him, Garron landed a job as a boom operator on set. Now he makes $31 an hour working full-time filming the show’s first season. Plans are in the works to shoot a second season after that. [read more]

Does this mean more “big budget” movies could be coming to Michigan:

Warner Bros Pictures announced they were pulling production of DC Comic’s Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds from Australia because of the faltering U.S. dollar. With the way the Australian dollar is performing compared to the US dollar and the financial gurus predicting it to climb to even or higher in the coming months, Warner Bros will be reconsidering all of its shoots there.  It is reported that the economic condition abroad could have add as much as $20 million to the films costs. [read more]