Photo: Dee Morrison

With Grand Valley State University’s Future ED Lab as the backdrop, film industry professionals met with lawmakers, educators and students to discuss the Multimedia Jobs Act awaiting action in the state house after summer break.

“We have a crisis in this state with brain drain and are leaving to go to other states.”

Geoff George is a cinematographer and a member of the Michigan Film Industry Association. He says Michigan is losing out to the 41 states and cities who do have film and multimedia incentives. Unlike Michigan’s previous program which ended in 2015, the new plan is not an incentive or rebate but a transferable tax credit, so the money stays in the state and includes not just film but broader multimedia industries like commercial photography and industrial production.

“What this bill does is encourage multimedia jobs to be created in this state through a tax voucher system that doesn’t come out of a line item in the budget. It won’t be on the backs of the taxpayers.”

Julie Goldstein, an associate professor in the Visual and Media Arts Department at Grand Valley State University, led the tour of the Future ED Lab where students use cutting edge CGI, XR and AI techniques to learn the foundational skills needed for today’s careers in a collaborative environment.

Read the rest of the story at WGVU Public Media.