Tax incentives for film production help local economies

I am a filmmaker and I want to stay home and work in Washington. My livelihood depends on a steady, reliable flow of film projects being made here, and for the past ten years, the motion picture production incentive has been responsible for attracting the projects that keep me working.

Film production is good for our community. When a production comes to town to film, it means a huge boost to the local economy because they spend money with caterers, restaurants, hotels, gas stations and local shops, and they provide jobs for our local cast and crew. I worked on the television series “Northern Exposure” and that show spent $50 million per year in Washington and to this day people still visit the town of “Cicely” in Roslyn.

Right now in Olympia there is a bill to renew the motion picture production incentive program. The program will go away on June 30 unless elected officials in Olympia act, and if the program isn’t renewed, I’ll have to move (along with many of my friends and colleagues.) I certainly hope that it passes so that we can continue to see film in our community.

Vicky Berglund-Davenport

Lake Stevens

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

Customers look at AR-15-style rifles on a mostly empty display wall at Rainier Arms Friday, April 14, 2023, in Auburn, Wash. as stock dwindles before potential legislation that would ban future sale of the weapons in the state. House Bill 1240 would ban the future sale, manufacture and import of assault-style semi-automatic weapons to Washington State and would go into immediate effect after being signed by Gov. Jay Inslee. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Editorial: Long fight for state’s gun safety laws must continue

The state’s assault weapons ban was upheld in a state court, but more challenges remain ahead.

December 5, 2025: Season of Giving
Editorial cartoons for Saturday, Dec. 6

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Comment: Latest BP pipeline spill proves why a river’s rights matter

Had a citizen’s initiative survived a legal challenge it might have ensured BP paid full remediation.

Comment: Driving impaired at .05 BAC; law should reflect that

The state’s impaired driving law needs a lower blood alcohol limit, a senator and former sheriff says.

Comment: Federal, states’ policies starving farms in the West

Tariffs and trade disputes, coupled with state taxes and regulations are eating farm profits.

Forum: Replacing planks as we steer the ship of civilization

Theseus’ paradox brings to mind thoughts about looking backward to guide decisions about the future.

Forum: We need a better grasp of reasons for Revolutionary War

Complaints about taxation fall short of understanding why the founders sought to break from England.

Anne Sarinas, left, and Lisa Kopecki, right, sort ballots to be taken up to the election center to be processed on Nov. 3, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: States right to keep voter rolls for proper purpose

Trump DOJ’s demand for voters’ information is a threat to the integrity of elections.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, Dec. 5

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

The Buzz: ‘Rage bait’ word of the year; and, the next three, too

The Oxford English Dictionary said the term has tripled in use. Good thing it’s sold in bulk.

Schwab: In the line of Hegseth’s and Trump’s unfriendly fire

While one leaves an admiral holding the second-strike bag, the other pardons a Honduran narco-felon.

Many in Congress MIA on boat strikes, military abuses

While Whidbey Island’s EA-18G squadrons and Everett’s hundreds of Navy families stand… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.