Utah Film Commission Ready to Spend Bigger Incentives

None by KCPW

For Every $1 Spent, $15 Come Back to State

(KCPW News) Should the Utah Legislature approve Governor Huntsman's budget item allocating $5 million to the state's Motion Picture Incentive Fund, Utah Film Commission Director Aaron Syrett is ready to spend it.

"Right when it gets appropriated, me and my team will head to Los Angeles and we'll start marketing that $5 million," says Syrett. "The money would go into effect July 1, so we could start lining up films that start in the first quarter of '08."

Utah began offering post-production performance incentives three years ago with the Motion Picture Incentive Fund (MPIF). Once a television show, movie or commercial shoot is completed, the production company can apply for a 10 percent rebate on the amount of money it can prove it spent while in Utah.

Most other states offer similar incentives. Don Schain, the Utah-based, Emmy Award-winning producer of High School Musical, says the MPIF a wise investment of taxpayer dollars:

"For every dollar that goes out from the incentive fund, just under $15 come into the state of Utah," Schain explains. "That's a return on investment of 15-to-one. That's why 44 states offer an incentives. They offer it because of the enormous economic impact a film brings to their state."

Last year, Utah ranked ninth nationwide based on the number of productions shot here, including seven feature films.

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