A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to create a $10 million incentive fund to lure film productions to Colorado, a proposal supporters acknowledge would have to compete with transportation and other needs.
House Speaker pro tem Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge, and Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, are behind the proposal in the House. Senate supporters include Dan Gibbs, D-Silverthorne, and Nancy Spence, R-Centennial.
The proposal was unveiled at PLATYPI, a studio located in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, a Democrat, also attended the event, which attracted a crowd of arts supporters.
The state stopped funding an official film office in 2002, but it has given grants to the private Colorado Film Commission. The commission most recently received $625,000 in state funding for film incentives.
Massey said that’s not enough. Other states, including New Mexico, are spending millions.
Under the proposal, the state would refund up to 15 percent of a film’s production costs incurred in Colorado. Such costs typically include hotels, rental cars, catering and restaurants, transportation and fuel.
By spending $10 million to subsidize movie productions, the state could reap more than $70 million in spending by filmmakers, supporters say. Supporters also want to re-establish an official state film office.
The idea went over well with the crowd. At one point, a man in the audience opined, “It’s a no-brainer.”
But as Massey and others told arts supporters, the trick will be where to find $10 million in the budget.
“It’s always about the money,” Spence said. “It’s pitting the film industry against transportation” and other needs.
Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com
