August 16, 1999
Los Angeles - DGA President Jack Shea and SAG President Richard Masur will be among the speakers at Sunday’s rally to support pending state legislation that attempts to address U.S. runaway film and television production.
The rally is being organized by the Film and Television Action Committee, a grass roots organization representing thousands of California film and television workers and business men and women from allied fields of entertainment.
The Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America recently released a report showing that the total economic impact of U.S. economic runaway film and television production was $10.3 billion in 1998, up more than fivefold since the beginning of the decade. Economic runaway is defined as U.S.-developed feature films, movies for television, TV shows or series that are filmed in another country for economic reasons.
The report, conducted by the prestigious international consulting firm, Monitor Company, also estimated that U.S. runaway production has cost U.S. entertainment industry workers more than 60,000 full-time equivalent positions in the last three years alone. The report also confirms that the multiplied dollar impact shows $3 billion in goods and services lost in support industries -- such as the hotel, real estate, medical, restaurant, and retail trade industries -- and a $1.9 billion loss in payroll, income and sales tax to local, state and federal governments.
Though SAG and DGA are focusing their legislative efforts on a federal solution, both are supportive of state efforts throughout the country which are attempting to address the problem regionally.
"We must communicate to the politicians in Sacramento and Washington that runaway production is an issue not just for our members, but for the communities in which they live and work, as well as for the many vendors and small businesses that depend on film and television production to support them," Shea said. "Runaway production first and foremost affects people who need to work in order to pay their bills, make their rent, and send their kids to school."
"It is important to remember," said Masur, "that the vast majority of jobs for actors and virtually all of the jobs for stunt performers and background actors – are lost to U.S. performers when production leaves the United States. There is no question that this issue will continue to be a top priority for all U.S. film and television industry workers."
Masur and Shea said the two guilds are working in Washington to fashion national solutions to the issue of out-of-country film and television production. A Congressional Entertainment Industry Task Force recently formed a working group to address the crisis of U.S. runaway production. The working group, chaired by Palmdale Congressman Buck McKeon (R-CA), will be trying to build consensus among members of Congress for incentives to keep U.S. film and television production jobs home.