DETROIT (WXYZ) — Members of Detroit's film industry are rallying to bring more production back to Michigan through a renewed push for state incentives.
Watch the report in the video player below:
Inside Cadieux Sound Studios on Detroit's east side, industry professionals gathered to prepare for another legislative effort in Lansing.
"It's just a great place to shoot and people are hungry for it," said Mike Young, a writer, director and comedian.
Young, a Southfield native who moved to Los Angeles, has filmed two movies in Michigan and wants to bring more productions to the state.
"I talk to people all the time that have shot things here in the past that love Detroit, people who haven't shot things who want to shoot in Detroit, people know this city has a personality," Young said.
Industry members say the lack of film incentives, which dozens of other states offer, is the main obstacle to attracting productions.
"It used to be about the Michigan landscape or this or that. No, the first deal is, what's the incentive?" said David Haddad, chair of the Michigan Film Industry Association.
Haddad argues that bringing movies to Michigan means more tourism and jobs across various sectors.
"It would be electricians and carpenters and painters and actors and caterers, and people spend money at lumber yards, laundry places, hotel rooms," Haddad said.
The group met with lawmakers in Lansing, pushing to restore film incentives that ended in 2015, this time with what they describe as a sustainable long-term plan.
"We're looking to get a 10-year program that builds gradually over time that will have between 6 and 8 billion dollars of direct spend in the state," said Alexander Page, legislative chair of the Michigan Film Industry Association.
Page says this is their fourth attempt to pass these incentives. Beyond commercial and marketing shoots, they aim to attract long-term projects.
"We're really looking for either big TV series that come year over year and spend six to nine months of production," Page said.
However, some organizations oppose the initiative. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy argues that previous incentive programs didn't deliver sufficient economic benefits.
"From our perspective, and most economists, it's just not a good use of state tax dollars," said Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Skorup contends that the millions spent on previous incentives only created a few hundred temporary jobs.
"It's a very transient industry. The jobs move to wherever they're getting subsidized and so it's very expensive to get just a few temporary jobs that end up disappearing pretty quickly if you don't keep extending and spending more on them," Skorup said.
Despite the opposition, film industry professionals remain optimistic about their chances this time.
"One hundred percent I believe there's enough momentum to make this happen," Young said.
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