According to the Boston Herald, the State of Massachusetts Economic Development
Secretary Greg Bialecki is traveling this week to California, specifically to
Los Angeles for a two-day sales-pitch to promote the state's burgeoning film industry.

Apparently the state is feeling its oats, figuratively, after receiving a public
relations boost from the Academy Award-nominated films “The Fighter” and “The
Social Network” and Golden Globe nominee “The Town” — all filmed in Massachusetts —
state officials are looking to capitalize by attracting more major motion pictures
to the Bay State.

Bialecki plans to meet with executives from NBC-Universal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros.,
Sony, Fox, Paramount, Creative Artists Agency and others.

Joining him on the trip will be John Dukakis, a senior vice president at Hill Holiday
and chair of the newly formed advisory group looking at ways to grow the film industry
in Massachusetts.

According to officials, film productions in Massachusetts have generated $36.3 million
in new tax revenues and created 1,683 jobs since the film tax-break laws went into
effect in 2006. The state has handed out $260.3 million in tax credits.

But the Herald is quick to point out that critics frequently deride the film-tax credits
as wasted, with benefits accruing to out-of-state actors and entities, but proponents
suggest the credits cost the state very little because they attract business that would
not come to Massachusetts otherwise.

The paper reported that the trip is expected to cost taxpayers about $3,600.

It appears that Massachusetts needs to do a better public relations job on telling their
tale of their efforts.  State officials need to explain the value of  such an effort to their
taxpayers.  For example questions that need to be addressed should be; what was the
total economic impact from the film industry?  What was the ratio of the economic impact
to the tax credits?  Additionally, how many films were made during this timeframe?  How
many permanent jobs versus temporary jobs were created?  This is an example of “Best
Practices” of poor economic development work.   For everyone in economic
development, get it right for the taxpayer!  In the case of Massachusetts, taxpayers there too
deserve accountability or this allusion of revenues from the silver screen maybe the
last trip to Tinseltown for state officials Massachusetts.

 
Tim Johnson
www.CaliforniaBusinessMinute.com