An Engine for the U.S. Economy
The film and television industry supports a dynamic U.S. creative economy, employing people in every state, and across a diversity of skills and trades. In all, 2.4 million people—from special effects technicians to makeup artists to writers to set builders to ticket takers and more—work in jobs supported by the industry, which pays over $186 billion in wages annually.
When a movie or television show shoots on location, it brings jobs, revenue, and related infrastructure development, providing an immediate boost to the local economy. Our industry pays out $21 billion per year to more than 260,000 businesses in cities and small towns across the country—and the industry itself is comprised of more than 122,000 businesses, 92 percent of which employ fewer than 10 people. As much as $250,000 can be injected into local economies per day when a film shoots on location. In some cases, popular films and television shows can also boost tourism.
For example, Marvel’s Black Panther involved more than 3,100 local workers in Georgia who took home more than $26.5 million in wages, while 20th Century Fox’s popular television series This Is Us contributed more than $61.5 million to the California economy. And in New York, Oscar-nominated films The Post and The Greatest Showman contributed more than $108 million to the state’s local economy.
A strong national economy depends on a strong creative economy—and it all starts with a story.
