Take the recent splattering of movies shooting on the west side in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The city has been the host to a nonstop stream of modestly budgeted independent productions over the past 15 months.  Just one look at the recent Val Kilmer suspense thriller The Steam Experiment, or rapper 50 Cent cop drama Caught in the Crossfire, and you will see productions that have budgets of less the 6 million dollars. But what these independent movies due that is so great for our state’s economy is take full advantage of the Michigan Film Incentives by using predominantly Michigan based crew members.  Crew members that then gain even more experience and credentials so they can go on and work on even bigger movies such as the 50+  million dollar MGM remake of Red Dawn, which starts shooting all around Michigan next month).

Even more so, the movie Genesis Code; which stars GOP fan favorite Fred Thompson of Law and Order, is currently shooting on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids.  This 5.2 million dollar production; not all of which will be eligible for tax incentives, has just a small crew of 100, but 65 of them are actually Michigan residents.  That’s right, young, creative, hard working, well-paid Michigan Residents.  The same Michigan residents that pay sales tax, property taxes, DMV taxes, you name it, they ARE our local economy.  And just because they are not working in some tax break granted GM auto plant in Lake Orion, doesn’t mean that their career and industry is unworthy of our help.

So the next time you hear Novi Senator Nacy Cassiss open her ill informed mouth that we are giving away tax breaks to none GM, Chrysler or Ford executive millionaires… go on and vote her the hell out of any future office she may go after.