Peering Into Our Crystal Ball

The Sages had a nice meeting the other day with Irene Wachsler of Tobolsky & Wachsler CPAs. This firm is an independent auditor for individuals and companies seeking to expedite tax credits on qualifying film and television productions in Massachusetts.

The Sages were seeking to gain a greater understanding about the use and applications of film tax credits in the State, but a funny thing happened on the way to that forum: we realized what kind of creative economy we now have in Mass. Ten years ago, could the Sages have met with an accountant seeking to expand her business in supporting film and television productions in the Bay State?

The simple answer is no. But where do things go from here? And how far?

Will writers, actors, crew, and others be able to earn a steady living in Massachusetts and New England from working in the movies?

This area will likely never be Los Angeles, but can it be Vancouver or Toronto? That is, a medium-sized city with a strong and consistent homegrown entertainment community? Much of that probably depends on the proposed studios for Massachusetts. At last count there are five: Plymouth, Weymouth, South Boston, Lowell, and Western Massachusetts. If one or several of these entities can flourish here, the ripple effects for everyone will be visible and tangible.

Peering into our crystal ball, what do the Sages see for the future of New England and the entertainment industry? Perhaps that's the wrong question. Perhaps it should be, what do we see now? Returning to our meeting from the other day, we see men and women with jobs and aspirations long ago thought impossible in this sector of the economy in this State.

We like what we see, and we hope to see more of it going forward. We invite others to peer into their crystal balls and tell us what they see...

-Randy