As an educator in film and television, my first concern is for the next generation of media professionals. Thomas Farragher should have spared a thought for these creative voices of the future before assailing the state’s film tax credit (“Film tax credit a flop,” Metro, March 28).
Since the establishment of the credit program, I’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of graduates staying in the state. Some have gone to work on those locally filmed Hollywood features that get all the attention in the back pages of the Globe, but at least as many have gotten jobs in local businesses that have expanded because of this economic incentive — jobs that aren’t even counted in those revenue analyses that Farragher cites.
Business schools across the country are buzzing about “the creative economy.” That’s because business leaders know that the economies of the developed world increasingly depend on industries based on creative ideas and intellectual property.
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Massachusetts’ film tax credit program promotes exactly that kind of economic development.
We have a program that isn’t just creating jobs; it’s building a creative culture that ensures that Massachusetts will be an exciting and rewarding place to live and work for generations to come.
The writer is an associate professor and director of the film production program at Boston University.