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Jan 23, 2008 11:33 pm US/Eastern
Lawmakers Entice Movie Industry To Bay State
Tax Credits Encourage Hollywood To Take Permanant Residence In Massachusetts
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Massachusetts wants to play a lead role in the movie industry.
The state is having great success in luring producers here with lucrative tax credits as lawmakers try to entice the industry executives into making the Bay State Hollywood East.
Massachusetts is now one of the top places in the country to shoot films because of generous state tax credits that reduce a studio's cost by 25 percent.
This spring is expected to be the busiest spring yet.
Last spring, two major movies were shot in Massachusetts.
"This year we already have four and now five major films committed to shoot in Massachusetts," said Nick Paleologos with the Massachusetts Film Bureau.
Now State Representative Ron Mariano is pushing legislation to give the movie industry more tax credits if they make a permanent home on Massachusetts.
He says if the new bill passes, movie executives will not only shoot in Massachusetts, they will build a large permanent studio in Weymouth.
"They are confident (that) with this plan they will be able to attract anyone who is looking at an east location," Paleologos said.
Movie executives are not only interested in the land at the old air base in Weymouth. There are also plans already in place for a movie studio in Plymouth.
The company is called Plymouth Rock Studios. The plan is to build a $300 million movie studio complex on 400 acres of land just off Route 25.
Plans show there will be 14 sound stages, making it the largest movie studio on the East Coast.
"The word is in 2009, they want to start construction so they are talking about an 18 month project," Paleologos said.
Sources tell WBZ they expect the movie bill to pass on Beacon Hill and that a studio could be operating by the end of next year.
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