WHAT'S THE NUMBER one question the Nevada Film Office is asked by filmmakers at trade shows, industry mixers and film events?

"What kind of incentives does Nevada offer?"

We have been asked that question so many thousands of times that we have a preprinted sheet we now hand out. It lists many wonderful "business" incentives from the State of Nevada, but none of them are specifically geared to filmmakers and the media production industry which our office specifically serves.

Nevada has been holding steady for six years, consistently seeing more than $100 million in revenue pumped into our state's economy annually from filming of all kinds. That's the good—if not great—news, and we're proud of that accomplishment. But …

"We have filming incentives!" has become the battle cry for many other states nationwide, and they are making notable inroads in drawing filmmakers to their locales—often in record numbers, a dizzying deluge that has doubled or tripled or quadrupled filming revenues in a particular area.

If and when our revenues dip below $100 million a year, it will not be because the Nevada Film Office has reduced its strenuous and considerable efforts. We continue, day in and day out, to tirelessly tout the benefits of filming in Nevada. Our methods are always being modified and improved, using whatever tools and techniques we can find and afford on our division's budget. We advertise, market, go to trade shows, make sales calls, send literature, publish materials, go after productions aggressively, court filmmakers, develop publicity plans, incubate Nevada product, participate in industry events and film festivals, and more. We physically serve nearly 700 productions each year that do shoot here, meeting diverse needs from scouting and photography to intergovernmental liaison, research, problem-solving, resource-finding, fact-gathering and much, much more, We never stop trying to improve our efforts and expand our reach.

If and when our revenues dip below $100 million a year, it will be because other states have siphoned off production in record numbers by luring them with incentives. Plain and simple. Not because they have better locations. Not because they have better crews. Not because they have better weather. Not because they have less expensive permits. Not because they have less layers of red tape or bureaucracy. Not because their film offices work harder or better than ours. Incentives will turn the tide. And it will turn the tide against Nevada if we do not become film-incentive-competitive.

If and when our revenues dip below $100 million a year, we will then be put into the difficult position of trying to "catch up" by fast-tracking filming incentive programs into existence in Nevada. Trying to make up for lost time. Trying to come up to speed while so many other states have a sizeable headstart and we're trailing behind.

Yes, film and television and other media projects will always come to Las Vegas to shoot the glitz and glamour. Landmarks and icons that can't be duplicated anywhere else including Hoover Dam, for example, will always draw filming. But those are not the only locations and areas of interest that get filmed here.

What we are seeing begin to slip away and will continue to lose will be the tens of millions of dollars "generic" production brings us each year. Projects that need to shoot cowboys and westerns, sci-fi landscapes, small towns, rural communities, neighborhoods, businesses, everyday environments, desert and dry lakes, prairies and farms, rodeos and bull riding, wilderness and mountains, apple orchards and gold mines, and countless other such locations that we have successfully marketed. Those diverse locations, in addition to our glitz and glamour, have helped us double Nevada's filming revenues in a few short years. Much of that could conceivably be lost to the many southwestern states in particular that are pumping up their production levels through incentives.

So, if you hear the "incentives" subject pop up in discussion or in the media, we welcome your support and encouragement and hope this has shed some light on the subject. We are in so many respects still the Wild West. And proud of it. This is an appropriate analogy: When it comes to creating filming incentives, it's time for Nevada to saddle up and aggressively ride to the front of the posse chasing filming; leading, not following. It's where we belong.  

Jeanne D. Corcoran
Production Manager
Press / Publicity, PR
Nevada Film Office
555 E. Washington Ave., Ste. 5400
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Toll-Free: (877) NEV-FILM (877-638-3456)
Website: www.nevadafilm.com
E-Mail: jdcorcor@bizopp.state.nv.us
Direct line: (702) 486-2713