Small Businesses Join Coalition Calling on Congress to Bring Film and Television Production Jobs Back to America

Coalition for American Production brings businesses from across the country to Capitol Hill following release of new economic study; alliance calls on small businesses nationwide to join the effort

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Coalition for American Production (CAP) is calling on small businesses across the country to join its effort to bring film and television production, and the jobs and economic activity it generates, back to the United States.

This week, CAP members representing production companies, studios, vendors, workers and small businesses from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., for more than 20 meetings with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, urging support for a federal film and television production incentive.

The coalition delivered the message that this is not just a Hollywood issue. This is a Main Street issue across the United States.

When a production leaves the United States, the economic impact extends well beyond actors, directors and studios. It reaches the transportation companies, equipment vendors, construction businesses, hotels, caterers, fuel stations, rental companies and other small businesses that depend on production activity in their communities.

CAP's Washington meetings come as new economic research underscores the potential national impact of a federal production incentive. A study released September 15 by Olsberg•SPI and commissioned by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) modeled the economic impact of a federal incentive operating alongside existing state programs. The study found that a competitive federal program could generate significant additional economic activity and support approximately 145,000 U.S. jobs annually.

“When a movie that takes place in New York is filmed elsewhere because of incentives, it hurts everyone who would have supported that production - the crew, technicians, construction vendors, transportation providers, and caterers that feed the crew,” said Rudy Callegari, a CAP founder, former producer and co-founder of Edge Auto Rental, a leading provider of production vehicle rentals in New York City. “In my business, the impact is felt by my employees and their families and flows through to local gas stations and service stations.”

“Film and television production support millions of American jobs and small businesses, most of them far from Hollywood,” said Bhugesh “Ben” Patel, founder and CEO of B.I. Production Works, which has grown from renting two sprinter vans to local productions in rural Georgia to providing nearly 2000 transportation vehicles across the United States. “My business is the largest employer and biggest taxpayer in Morgan County, Georgia because of the film industry. When productions leave the country, the impact reaches far beyond the set. It affects businesses, workers and families throughout our communities.”

“In Oklahoma, competitive entertainment tax incentives helped us recruit major productions like Twisters and Tulsa King, boosting jobs and economic activity while helping transform the global perception of our state’s film industry,” said Rachel Cannon, actress, founder and CEO of Rock Paper Cannon, an independent television studio producing sitcoms in Middle America. “A federal tax incentive has bipartisan support because it will bring jobs back from overseas and help accelerate economic growth in communities across the country.”

A National Small-Business Effort

The coalition is seeking businesses whose operations are supported by film and television production, including:

• Transportation and vehicle rental companies
• Equipment and production suppliers
• Construction companies
• Hotel providers
• Restaurants and caterers
• Fuel stations and automotive services
• Local retailers and service providers

Businesses that participate will have the opportunity to share their stories and help CAP demonstrate to policymakers that the economic impact of production extends throughout local communities and across industries.

The call comes at a time when the U.S. film and television industry represents a substantial national economic footprint. According to the MPA, the industry supports more than 2 million jobs, $202 billion in wages and more than 162,000 businesses.

For more information visit or to join: https://usacap.org/