Texas Motion Picture Alliance

The Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TXMPA) is dedicated to the preservation and enrichment of the moving image industry in the State of Texas. Since our inception, TXMPA's primary goal has, and will continue to be, to generate jobs for Texans and create income for Texas. As such, we have been extremely vocal advocates for the Texas Moving Image Incentive Program as administered by the Office of the Governor.

Since being signed into law on April 23, 2009, the current Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program has resulted in over half a billion dollars in Texas production spending and the creation of over 53,000 cast and crew jobs for Texans. All of this was accomplished with just a little over 50 million dollars in incentives. 

To date, the Moving Image Incentive Program is one of the most effective and successful job creation programs in the Lone Star State. During 2007 and again in 2009 it has enjoyed almost universal bipartisan support in the Texas Legislature.

As with any program which deals with creative content, there will be an occasional disagreement over projects that apply for an incentive grant. The laws of our state, as passed by the Legislature, provide for checks and balances to maintain freedom of speech while protecting the integrity of our tax dollars. Each application is thoroughly reviewed by the Texas Film Commission and must meet the requirements of the law before any incentives are awarded. This includes an audit of both the production's in-state hiring and the applicant’s spending. It also includes a review of the completed production to make sure it complies with the laws governing content.

We urge everyone to visit txmpa.org to learn more about the Texas incentive program. An informed public is less likely to be swayed by misinformation and false allegations such as those currently swirling around the film "Machete". Please note, this film has yet to submit all of its financial and content material for audit and review. Again, no incentive can be approved and funded until these steps take place.

In the upcoming 2011 Legislative Session, TXMPA will advocate for the continued funding of the Texas Moving Image Incentive Program. The program has made a positive economic impact across the State in both rural areas and large cities. Currently, as a direct result of the incentive program, five network television series are committed to produce shows in Texas along with numerous cable series, feature films, video games, and commercials.

We encourage you to take a moment to contact your legislators (or candidates for the Legislature) and let them know you support our program because of the jobs and revenue it brings to our State. Also, please become a member of TXMPA and join us in our efforts to continue this program. Visit txmpa.org to join/donate/sponsor.

Don Stokes
President, TXMPA

UPDATE: TXMPA's first ever online benefit auction has concluded, and was quite a success, netting nearly $10,000 for our cause. Many thanks to all of you who bid, and to organizers Jeanette Scott and Camille McNamara. Stay tuned for news about our next auction later this year!

Don't miss an easy and fun way to support TXMPA and help bring more production and jobs to Texas - check out the nearly 100 awesome items up for bid on our first-ever online auction.  Bidding closes Monday, May 24 at 10pm sharp, and all proceeds benefit TXMPA.

http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/Browse.action?auctionId=103866070

I am happy to report that our Moving Image Incentive Program is proving its effectiveness at bringing jobs and dollars to Texas. Since the enhanced incentives were signed into law in April 2009, applications which account for over $225 million in new in-state spending. These projects have created over 12,300 industry jobs equating to over 1,800 full time jobs. All of this has been achieved with a commitment of just over $24.8 million in grant funds. I am unaware of any other program which has delivered these levels of results with an equivalent cost. These projects come from across the State and cover all segments of the industry. This is tremendous news and will be a vital part of our message going into the 2011 Legislative Session.

We cannot afford to let this positive news make us complacent. Now is the time to remobilize and renew our efforts. We will have to battle for continued funding of the program in the upcoming Legislative Session. News reports from the Capitol inform us that all State agencies have been asked to reduce their budgets and cut current and future spending. We have been lucky since our friends in the Governor's office have trimmed in other areas in order to keep our current funding intact. They believe in the value our industry brings to Texas but we will have to make our case anew in 2011. To complicate matters further, we will not simply be asking to retain our current level of appropriation, we will be seeking an increase. At current application levels we will exhaust our funds for this fiscal year well before the next appropriation year begins in September 2010. Those funds will most likely also be exhausted before our next appropriation is in place. The positive side is that we have shown that if the incentive program is funded we can bring in the work. What we will have to prove is that the jobs we create benefit the State enough to justify the funding.

This is just one of the challenges that lie ahead in making our program work for Texas. Find solutions to generate even more projects across the entire State rather than have so many concentrated in our largest production centers is one of our goals. We need to look for ways to allow Texas to be even more competitive in all areas of the industry. The bottom line is we need YOU to make this happen.

In order to successfully advocate we need the most effective resources, technology and personnel we can get. Not only does this take time, it takes money. TXMPA is an all volunteer organization made up of members of our industry lead by an elected board. All of our funding goes directly to getting our message to the Legislature and we need an influx of funds to move forward.

We need everyone to step up to support these efforts.

Make sure you are a paid member of TXMPA. Make sure everyone you know in the industry is a paid member of TXMPA. If you have the resources to sponsor TXMPA beyond your membership do so. Advocate for others to sponsor. We have proven that our efforts bring work to Texas. Many of you have worked on projects that are beneficiaries of our program. The rest of us benefit from a re-energized industry that makes for a more fertile work environment and opportunities in the future. Take the time to step up and help us guarantee that future.

Don Stokes
President, TXMPA