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Advocates ask for $120,000 to launch Vermont film office database, highlight workforce and small-production needs
Summary
Presenters told the Senate committee the 2022 Vermont Film and Media Industry Task Force recommended state support for a film and creative media workforce initiative; advocates proposed a $120,000 first-year investment to build a resource database, staff a point of contact and begin workforce development rather than large tax credits.
Committee members heard a presentation on the Vermont Film and Media Industry Task Force report (submitted January 2023) and a proposal to invest $120,000 in a one-year pilot to support a film and creative media workforce initiative.
Presenters said Vermont is one of a few states that currently offers no targeted funding for film and creative media, and they argued a state-focused, non-extractive approach would prioritize small- and mid-scale production, workforce development and retention of graduates from Vermont training programs. The initiative proposed three elements: (1) a centralized, searchable database of film and media assets and vendors; (2) a staffed “film point” or contact person to guide productions and users of the database; and (3) an analysis of what a modest, Vermont-specific production incentive might look like in future years.
Senator Brock was thanked for co-chairing the task force. Presenters said Vermont Production Collective would be a partner to operate aspects of the initiative and that the Vermont Arts Council would administer the funds. The presenters emphasized the initiative is meant to help filmmakers find local equipment, editing and post-production services and to create apprenticeship and internship pipelines so film and media graduates can build careers in-state.
Filmmaker Alex Welter described producing a short adventure film, Coming Home, which screened at festivals and generated out-of-state audience interest. Welter said the production cost about $50,000 and relied on a $20,000 grant from VEMBA (identified in testimony as a tourism grant) plus brand sponsorships; he described the project as artistically successful but financially difficult to sustain and said, “As a filmmaker, I’ve been like, would I do it again? The answer is, like, right now, no, because it was just so hard financially to make it viable.”
Committee discussion compared Vermont’s role to neighboring jurisdictions that use tax incentives and concluded Vermont’s initial focus should be low-cost supports and workforce-building rather than competing on large tax credits. Presenters requested $120,000 for a first-year pilot to build the database, fund a part-time staffed contact and gather baseline metrics about use and economic impact.
