Cynthia Geary for the Film Incentive

 
You may know her as the actress who portrayed Shelly Tambo on Northern Exposure, but Cynthia Geary’s biggest role may just be as a mother of two school-age girls. And as a longtime resident of Washington State, she understands the gravity of the situation concerning education funding, but she doesn’t see education and film as competing issues.

Instead, she points out that the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program serves as a source of tax revenue for Washington and suggests that the presence of a healthy film industry in the state will actually benefit the public school system. And the data bears that out. Since 2007, film productions have brought in an estimated $116 million in in-state spending. That includes taxable production spending at local businesses like restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, and hotels, as well as location rental fees, which are also taxed by the state. The bottom line is: more in-state spending means more tax revenue for Washington, which can be used to fund education.

This Public Service Announcement (PSA) was produced by students and faculty at the Seattle Film Institute as part of a series supporting the Keep Film in WA campaign—in case you missed them, past PSAs can all be found on our YouTube channel.

We’re especially grateful to Cynthia Geary for lending her voice to this campaign and sharing her unique perspective as a Washington State parent and film industry veteran. 

Call to Action:

Share this PSA on social media and email it to your legislator.

Remind legislators that increased business activity means increased tax revenue, and that the modest investment we make in the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program has shown to generate economic growth and significant taxable in-state spending.