Annual Report — Department of Commerce, Motion Picture Competitiveness Report (March 1, 2023)
Summary
This March 1, 2023 annual report to the Washington State Legislature, prepared pursuant to Chapter 43.365 RCW, is the 2022 Motion Picture Competitiveness Report from the Department of Commerce. It states that the Legislature created the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program (MPCP) in 2006 and that Chapter 270, Laws of 2022 increased the funding cap for the MPCP to $15 million a year. The report covers the period from July 2020 to June 2022, during which Washington Filmworks provided $3.78 million in funding assistance, resulting in over $11.5 million in qualified spending within local communities and 1,680 jobs for Washington residents.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
Cite this document
“Annual Report — Department of Commerce, Motion Picture Competitiveness Report (March 1, 2023).”
Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-commercereports-motion-picture-competitiveness-program-final-9f88-3336ba1bc3/
, SHA-256 a94f54e5214643ee6204f9e9d8cf21f39a173fb7bdde5cc3bd243feb0c564deb.Full text
Motion Picture
Competitiveness Report
Annual report to the Washington State Legislature pursuant to
Chapter 43.365 RCW
March 1, 2023
OFFICE OF ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AND
COMPETIVENESS Report to the Legislature
Interim Director Kendrick Stewart
V3.2
Acknowledgments
Washington State Department of Commerce
Chris Green, Assistant Director, Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness
Shannon Halberstadt, Creative Economy Sector Lead
Washington Filmworks
Amy Lillard, Executive Director
Julie Daman, Director of Operations & Finance
Washington State Department of Commerce
Shannon Halberstadt
(564) 669-0378
Shannon.Halberstadt@commerce.wa.gov
OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND
COMPETITIVENESS
1011 Plum St. SE
P.O. Box 42525
Olympia, WA 98504-2525
www.commerce.wa.gov
For people with disabilities, this report is available on
request in other formats. To submit a request, please
call 360-725-4000 (TTY 360-586-0772)
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT
Table of Contents
Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
Impact of COVID-19 on film production ........................................................................................................ 3
Film office ................................................................................................................................................... 4
Diversity, equity and inclusion in the film Industry ........................................................................................ 4
Implementing Chapter 270, Laws of 2022 (ESHB 1914) ................................................................................ 5
Projects funded: July 2020 - June 2022 ....................................................................................................... 8
Appendix A: Summary Descriptive Statistics .............................................................................................. 15
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 1
Overview
The Legislature created the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program (MPCP) in 2006 to attract and retain film
industry investment in Washington (Chapter 43.365 RCW).
Chapter 270, Laws of 2022 (ESHB 1914) increased the funding cap for the MPCP to $15 million a year. The
legislation includes several other provisions that expand and strengthen the statewide film industry, including:
Additional incentives for projects filming in rural jurisdictions and for films that tell stories of
marginalized communities
A workforce development mandate for people from underrepresented communities
Support for small budget productions creatively driven by Washington residents
Extended sunset date of the program to 2030
Legislative mandate
This report is required annually to the Legislature pursuant to RCW 43.365.020 (12):
By December 31, 2022, and annually thereafter, the department, on behalf of the board, must report to the
legislature on the approved motion picture competitiveness program. This report may include information
required in the survey established in RCW 43.365.040. At a minimum, the report must include an annual
list of recipients awarded financial assistance from the prior year with total estimated production costs,
locations of each production, and the board's progress towards the goal of at least 20 percent of its
funding assistance provided to motion picture productions located or filmed in rural communities and 20
percent of its funding assistance provided to motion picture productions that tell stories of marginalized
communities. The report must also include information on workforce development, career connected
learning, and business development activities, including whether they have been scaled up in size from the
previous year and how they are meeting the goal of supporting people from marginalized communities.
Washington Filmworks
Washington Filmworks is the private non-profit organization that manages the MPCP and an array of resources
that support the creative industries. The mission of Washington Filmworks is to create economic development
opportunities by building and enhancing the competitiveness, profile and sustainability of Washington's film
industry.
Washington Filmworks offers funding assistance for qualified expenditures for motion picture, episodic series
and commercial productions. To qualify for funding assistance, a production company must meet the
following in-state spending thresholds:
$500,000 for motion pictures
$300,000 for episodic series (per episode)
$150,000 for commercials
In 2020, Washington Filmworks launched Whipsmart, a partner organization to support Washington’s creative
economy.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 2
Certified and complete statistics
RCW 43.365.040 requires Commerce to provide specified summary statistics as follows:
(6) The department must use the information from this section to prepare summary descriptive statistics.
The department must use the information from this section to prepare summary descriptive statistics. The
department must report these statistics to the legislature each even-numbered year by September 1st.
The department must provide the complete annual surveys to the joint legislative audit and review
committee, which shall perform a review as required under RCW 43.365.050.
This report covers the period from July 2020 to June 2022. During this reporting period, Washington Filmworks
provided $3.78 million in funding assistance, resulting in over $11.5 million in qualified spending within local
communities and 1,680 jobs for Washington residents. Appendix A provides full summary descriptive
statistics for all productions approved for funding assistance through June 30, 2022.
Impact of COVID-19 on film production
The film industry nationwide was deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Film was one of the first
industries to shut down, and given the high-impact nature of film production, one of the last to reopen. In July
2021, Forbes reported “Theaters and movie sets were shut down for months, causing the U.S. box office to
lose $5 billion in 2020. Only 338 movies were released in theaters in 2020, a 66% decline from 2019. The
number of movies that began production in 2020 declined significantly, taking a 45% drop to 447.” While the
pandemic surged worldwide, theatrical releases were put on hold and many productions were suspended,
delayed or canceled, resulting in a queue of movies that have yet to be released which could lead to fewer
projects being greenlit in the near future.
An additional complication, particularly for lower-budget productions, is the high cost of COVID-19 safety
protocols required by the Return to Work Agreement, a joint agreement with labor unions including Director's
Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Screen Actors Guild
– American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Teamsters/Basic Crafts. Variety
reported in May 2021 that the rigorous requirements in the union agreement increased production budgets
between 12%-22%. These increased costs take a toll on the independent feature film market, either shortening
production schedules or delaying them entirely.
Early in the pandemic, Washington Filmworks led a 160-person statewide task force to design safety protocols.
These were approved by the Governor's Office on July 8, 2020. To help disseminate information, Washington
Filmworks used its YouTube Channel to host a number of informational seminars with a variety of film
professionals who shared best practices about how to stay safe on set. The organization continues to
maintain its COVID-19 Resources page, which shares the most up-to-date industry information about set
safety.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 3
Film office
Washington Filmworks provides the services of the statewide film office.
This division continues to drive significant economic development “Washington Filmworks
opportunities for communities across the state that are not included in brings that larger perspective
the MPCP reporting. about how do we engage
with the state and how do we
Using the location database, which houses thousands of photos from engage with the film
across the state, and the knowledge of the film liaison network and staff community in the state. It’s
at Washington Filmworks, the film office attracts smaller budgeted just such a help at the UW to
projects that are not necessarily driven by the MPCP. have that resource.”
For example, in spring 2022 Washington Filmworks worked closely with — Alanya Cannon, Director of
the HBO series “The Sex Lives of College Girls” to find a key location at Brand Management at the
the University of Washington, which lead to over a month of local work on University of Washington
the production and more than 100 local hires. The key to the success of
the production was making sure that filming worked for both the production and the University of Washington.
After the successful filming experience, producer Bonnie Munoz said, “I think it’s a no-brainer to become
greater partners because it’s been such a good experience.”
Washington continues to be recognized as a national destination for car commercials given the pristine
locations and beautiful roadways across the state. While car commercials have shorter production schedules
(generally a week or less), they can spend upwards of $250,000 hiring local crew and filming on location. More
recently, Washington has hosted Audi, Kia, Infiniti and Freightliner Trucks for commercials.
The following are examples of the variety of projects that Washington Filmworks’ film office worked with in the
reporting period:
ABC: "Station 19"
Photographer Annie Leibovitz
BBC: "The Changing World"
Bridgestone Tires commercials
Discovery: "Ghost Hunters"
HGTV: "BeachFront Bargain Hunt"
McDonalds commercial
National Geographic: "Prix Frix"
Netflix: "Love is Blind Series"
Puma Shoes commercial
Diversity, equity and inclusion in the film industry
In March 2022, the University of California at Los Angeles released its annual Hollywood Diversity Report,
which found that while people of color have made gains in roles such as writer and director, they are still
underrepresented in the industry overall. The report states that both male and female people of color represent
a mere 30% of directors and 32% of writers.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 4
Washington Filmworks acknowledges this inequity and has been working diligently to address the issue by
adding diverse voices to its Film Leadership Council and Board of Directors, as well as helping people from
underrepresented groups gain access to the film industry. In spring 2021, the organization launched the Media
Mentorship Program, which offers people from underrepresented communities access to film education, one-
on-one mentorships and the opportunity to work as a
production assistant on one of Washington Filmworks' "The program also paved the way to
approved productions. The program helped build the creative booking my first project as a production
careers of emerging Washington Filmmakers, including assistant with (a) TV series, which filmed
Spokane-based Frances Mortel. in Spokane for eight weeks. This also gave
opportunity for meaningful relationships
Mortel had this to say about the program: “After four years and creative collaboration between the
being a working full-time student, completing a film degree, I West Coast and the Inland Northwest, and
learned the hard reality that there aren’t a lot of opportunities led to another TV project which is currently
for film in Spokane, even harder as an immigrant and a brown filming in Spokane for two weeks.”
woman. Through the program, I was able to attend the Seattle
Film Summit, which opened doors into networking with other — Frances Mortel
film workers in the region."
As part of its expanded workforce development initiative, Washington Filmworks plans to scale this program
statewide and fund production assistant positions on both incentive and non-incentive projects so emerging
talent has the work experience they need to break into Washington’s film industry.
Washington Filmworks continues its work with Epiphanies of Equity to ensure that the policies and programs
of the organization are equitable and to work on building inclusive film sets in Washington. Epiphanies of
Equity is also helping the Equity co-chairs draft a charter for committee work. The organization anticipates on-
boarding members in early 2023.
Implementing Chapter 270, Laws of 2022 (ESHB 1914)
Chapter 270, Laws of 2022 gives Washington Filmworks the legislative authority to better support the film
ecosystem by providing career connected learning opportunities and workforce development initiatives. The
bill also requires that the organization initiate a business development plan to market the state as a
destination for motion picture content. Since the bill was signed into law in March 2022, Washington
Filmworks has been working with the film industry and community partners to design impactful new programs
that will set the industry up for success and help build the future of film in Washington.
Workforce development
The statute (Section 13(a)) requires that Washington Filmworks invest at least $500,000 in fiscal years 2023
and 2024 and $750,000 per year from fiscal year 2025 until the program sunsets on workforce development
initiatives that focus on individuals from marginalized communities. Per the recommendation of community
members, which included a listening tour of industry stakeholders state-wide, Washington Filmworks replaced
the phrase "marginalized communities" with "historically underrepresented communities." The first two
initiatives to be approved by Washington Filmworks’ Board of Directors are the Emerge Program and the Small
Budget Production Funding Program.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 5
Emerge Educational Program
The Emerge Program provides educational opportunities and mentorships to emerging directors and
producers. It is the first Washington Filmworks' workforce development initiative for directors and producers.
Inspired by programs like the Sundance Lab, the program is designed to help local filmmakers develop a
professional network, level up their business skills, provide a path to financing their films, and ultimately get
their film finished. The program will focus on narrative filmmaking in the first year, with the intention of
designing a similar program for documentary filmmakers moving forward.
The Emerge Program will launch with a three-month educational program for up to 30 Washington
participants. Each participant must have a narrative or non-scripted work of fiction with a budget between
$20,000 and $1 million to develop during the program. Educational topics include legal, financing,
pitching/marketing, distribution, and how to work in Washington. The majority of the programming will take
place virtually, with the exception of the final weekend which will be an in person event. After the educational
program ends, Washington Filmworks will facilitate continued communication and networking opportunities
via electronic channels and informal meet-ups.
Emerge Mentorship Program
All participants in the Educational Program will have the opportunity to apply for a seven-month mentorship to
further develop a narrative project by working with a film professional from Washington and a film professional
from a major production market, such as Los Angeles or New York. The program will invite three to five
director/producer teams to participate. Mentors will help teams with script rewrites, pitching projects,
budgeting, financier introductions and finding Washington-based production resources. Since the educational
program will focus on the nuts and bolts of filmmaking, additional educational opportunities for the creative
side of filmmaking will be made available specifically for directors.
Small Budget Production Funding Program
Washington Filmworks will open an application window for filmmakers not participating in the Emerge
Program. Filmmakers can apply before having funding for their projects in place, and money will be held in
reserve for up to six months. Producers and directors can be the applicant of record and all types of filmed
content with budgets between $20,000 to $1 million are eligible to apply. Applications for the Small Budget
Production Funding Program will be reviewed by the Board of Directors quarterly.
Other workforce development initiatives currently being considered by Washington Filmworks focus on below-
the-line talent (such as crew) and include an expansion of the Media Mentorship Program and funding
technical assistance programs that have a history of success.
Rural Enhanced Incentive
The Washington Filmworks board aims to allocate 20% of its funding to projects that film in rural jurisdictions.
The Rural Enhancement is designed to expand motion picture production beyond the production centers of
Seattle and Spokane. Financial incentives encourage productions to showcase Washington’s rural areas, which
means communities that do not typically benefit from the film industry will have the opportunity to benefit from
the economic development opportunities that motion picture production provides. In designing the Rural
Enhancement program, Washington Filmworks researched existing place-based incentives, spoke to other film
offices across the country and interviewed local producers to better understand the increased costs
associated with filming in rural locations. The Washington State Office of Financial Management defines only
nine of Washington's 39 counties as urban; the other 30 are rural.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 6
Washington Filmworks’ Board of Directors approved the following criteria to qualify for up to an additional 10%
enhanced incentive on all qualified Washington production expenses incurred both in and outside the rural
community:
Films defined as "located for filmed in a rural community” have a minimum of 50% of the total production
schedule in a rural county.
Film provides Washington Filmworks and the rural community marketing collateral such as behind-the-
scenes photos and interviews with usable sound bites for community outlets, pull quotes for community
promotional materials, social media collateral, and screening of the project within the community.
Film adheres to all of Washington Filmworks' standard program requirements, including spending
thresholds.
To support the expansion of film production in rural counties, Washington Filmworks hired Sherrye Wyatt as
the director of rural economic development. Given the high impact of film production in communities, Wyatt
will work in partnership with Production Services Manager Vicky Berglund-Davenport to ensure that our
communities are "film ready." Wyatt and Berglund-Davenport will help film liaisons learn best practices for
working with a film production, how to market their destination to the film industry and how to develop a
positive culture for film in their communities.
In addition to working with film liaisons, Washington Filmworks is adapting its tools so prospective clients can
easily identify rural destinations for filmmaking. Washington Filmworks worked with Reelscout to designate all
rural locations in the statewide location database. To help rural locations better market their destination,
Washington Filmworks launched the List Your Property portal on its website, where individuals can upload
photos of their locations to be published in the Location Database.
Enhanced Incentive for Telling Stories of Marginalized Communities
Washington Filmworks is working to define what it means to tell the story of marginalized communities. This
enhanced incentive is the first of its kind in the United States. The legislation does not define the phrase
"marginalized communities," nor is there an agreed-upon definition of the phrase for the state of Washington.
In an effort to reflect a breadth of diversity in experience across race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and
place of origin, Washington Filmworks continues to do its due diligence and have conversations with film
community members, government agencies, Epiphanies of Equity and lawyers with social justice backgrounds.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 7
Projects funded: July 2020 - June 2022
This reflects the film incentive program from the previous budget year. The next report will review work under
production in the current budget cycle, as per the new incentive described in Chapter 270, Laws of 2022 (ESHB
1914), which includes additional incentives focused on rural and historically underrepresented communities.
Title: 3 Busy Debras - Season 2 (10 Episodes)
Official website: https://www.adultswim.com/videos/three-busy-debras
Distributed by: Adult Swim and HBO Max
Filming dates: April 2021 - June 2021
Where to see: Adult Swim and HBO Max
Synopsis: Three housewives live in a wealthy Connecticut suburb
that exists outside reality for the rest of the world.
Where filmed: Seattle, Kirkland, Lynnwood
Notable: Journalists have called Three Busy Debras "weird,"
"absurd" and "cultish," but as show creators (aka "the Debras”)
suggest, “It’s really a social commentary about community. The
protagonists of the show are villains to the world but they are
villains because they are a product of the place and time and
structure they have been raised in so it’s sort of like
sympathizing with these horrible women but also you get to
laugh at them and laugh with them.” (Bullseye with Jesse
Thorn/NPR (May 13, 2022: 15:05)
The show originated as a play, which premiered at the
Anonymous Theatre in Brooklyn. There, it got the attention of
Amy Poehler and her production company Paper Kite
Productions. Adult Swim was selected as the distributor.
There were benefits to filming two seasons in Seattle as the
Debras became acquainted with local talent. “We didn’t know
that there was this amazing theater scene in Seattle,”
Jouhari said. “And especially you can see in that first Photo credit: Tony Becerra
episode of Season two — Ray Tagavilla, Rachel Pate, Kelsi
Umeko, Kevin Warren — those are all local Seattle actors who
"The competitive tax incentive, paired with
were in the first season who we loved and we’re really
the talented crew and lovely folks at
consciously trying to give them more to do.” (Seattle Times,
Washington Filmworks makes it an ideal
April 19, 2022).
place to film!"
— Adult Swim Finance Executive Karin Vitolo
at Adult Swim on Washington state
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 8
Title: Going Home Season 1 (six episodes)
Official website:
https://www.pureflix.com/movie/going-home
Distributed by: Sony Entertainment’s streaming service
Pure Flix
Filming dates: September 2021 - November 2021
Where to see: https://www.pureflix.com/movie/going-
home
Synopsis: Going Home follows an inspiring team of
nurses who help guide patients and loved ones on the
ultimate journey - one of transition from this world to
their forever home. It’s a race against time as the team
must help their clients find peace and wrap up loose
ends with compassion and dignity before they pass.
Where filmed: Spokane
Notable: One of the first projects greenlit by Sony’s new streaming platform Pure Flix (which focuses on family
friendly content that is positive and uplifting), "Going Home" aims to open the conversation about end-of-life
care and death itself.
“I was surprised by how accessible and relatable people have found the show,” said showrunner Dan
Merchant. “On one hand, it's obvious, we are all touched by death and will, at some point, experience it
ourselves, but on the other hand our society isn't comfortable discussing such things -- that conversation is
something Going Home can help with.”
After his work as a director on the SyFy series "Z Nation," Merchant was eager to work again with the local cast
and crew in Spokane and recruited all the producers for the show locally for both season one and season two.
He also cast Washington resident Cynthia Geary (Northern Exposure) in the lead role of nurse Charley
Copeland. When asked why she took the role, Geary said, “'Going Home' is so well written and Dan Merchant
spent a lot of time with the nurses and staff at Hospice of Spokane who consulted on the series and all the
scripts are all rooted in real experiences and emotions. I had no experience with hospice, so Dan arranged for
me to visit Hospice of Spokane before we began filming. Sitting and talking with the head nurse really helped
me bring Charlie to life. One thing that really surprised me was the nurse's sense of humor. 'Going Home'
writers did a great job adding moments of light and humor to some heart wrenching stories.
After five successful seasons of working on the hit SyFy series Z Nation, Merchant knew that Spokane was the
right home for Going Home: “Spokane is home to an experienced and energetic film community, so 'Going
Home' has benefitted from that surprisingly high level of expertise. Spokane itself has a broad range of scenic
locations, great hotels, great restaurants and is a very filmmaker friendly place to set up shop. Plus, the ten
minutes from downtown to airport is a unique asset in the Northwest, which has seen the region grow so much
in recent years. It's unusual for a prime location with so much to offer to also be such an easy place to work.”
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 9
Title: Boon
Official website: https://cinedigm.com/movies-
shows/
Distributed by: Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Filming dates: January 2021 - February 2021
Where to see: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix,
Redbox
Where filmed: Spokane
Synopsis: Mercenary Nick Boon (Neal Photo credit: Boon; photo by Cinedigm.
McDonough) is trying to atone for his life as an
enforcer for a ruthless syndicate. Running from "This film (Boon) is going to bring a few million dollars into
his past, Boon moves to a remote area in the the economy and employ a few hundred people and let’s
Pacific Northwest where he meets a struggling keep that train rolling.”
widow (Christina Ochoa) and her son. When he
finds the pair living in fear of a criminal kingpin — Actor Neal McDonough
(Tommy Flanagan), Boon realizes the only way
to protect them is to do what he does best: Kill.
Notable: Spokane is one of two production centers in Washington and has earned its reputation as a film
friendly destination after hosting projects like the SyFy series "Z Nation" and the hit feature film "At Middleton,"
starring Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga.
The production team behind "Boon" was equally impressed with the location and had this to say about the
community:
Director Derek Presley: “What I think I enjoyed the most was the reaction from the people who live in Spokane.
When we were shooting in the Garland District and tying up traffic, people were not just good about it, they
were great! People recognized Neal from ‘Yellowstone’ and screamed, ‘We love you’ and ‘Thanks for filming in
our city.’" (Spokesman-Review: March 4, 2021)
Lead Actor Neal McDonough (Yellowstone): “I want to have the secret of Spokane out in the open now. I want
people to see that this is a great place to film. The people here are really cool. The vibe here in Spokane is
terrific." (KHQ News Segment January 16, 2021)
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 10
Title: Midday Black Midnight Blue
Official website: Not available
Distributed by: Film Festivals
Filming dates: June 2022
Where filmed: Renton, Seattle, Whidbey, Camano Island
Where to see: Film Festivals
Synopsis: Isolated in an empty house, Ian (Chris Stack) still
grieves a woman he loved who died two decades ago. The
memory clamoring to be released, and his daily existence turning
ever darker, Ian will have to find a way to let her go.
Notable: Washington Filmworks got a panicked phone call from
producers Lovell Holder and Addie Johnson Talbott after losing Photo credit: Lovell Holder
their key waterfront location on a lake in Michigan. With their start
date only a month away, the production was eager to find a new
production home that could provide the same cinematic looks.
Then film liaison Sherrye Wyatt hosted them on a scout and
Holder was sold immediately.
After production, Holder said that, to honor their excellent filming
experience, the film plays Whidbey Island for itself. Several local
businesses are featured in the film, including Cozy’s Restaurant
(which provided catering services for the film crew; proprietor
John McGovern said this was "Good for business" and "a pretty
cool experience.") During the production, the film crew spent
more than $48,000 in the community, including over 340 room
nights at local hotels.
When asked about the importance of the production incentives
in making a decision of where to film, Lovell said “I think the "The beauty of filming in Washington is
simple reality is that incentive dollars are a sizable part of why a that it just affords an epic-ness that you
movie goes to a specific location. So often when decisions are just simply can't get in other parts of the
made by committee, very often the one thing that everyone can country or really anywhere in the world."
agree on are the things with the dollar signs. Knowing that there
is a place that suits the artistic needs of a project while still "I have yet to work on a single film where
getting a substantial return on your investment that can the tax incentive was not a major factor in
meaningfully move the project along is compelling." terms of why that location was picked."
— Producer Lovell Holder
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 11
Project Surveys
In order to recognize the accountability and effectiveness of tax policy, the Legislature requires that each
qualified production approved for funding assistance submit a survey detailing the economic impact of the
production. In cases where the qualified production submitted a post-production completion package, a
second survey was submitted. Attached as Appendix A are summary descriptive statistics for all productions
that have been approved for funding assistance, completed principal photography and been reviewed by
Washington Filmworks through June 30, 2022. Below is a list of projects that have submitted surveys.
* “Feature” refers to a feature film.
“Commercial” refers to a commercial advertisement.
“MOW” refers to a Movie of the Week/episodic series.
“Episodic” refers to a series for television or streaming media that consists of a season of episodes.
“Post” refers to the post-production survey to capture post-production expenditures.
“Innovation Lab Project” refers to projects approved through the Filmworks Innovation Lab program.
Fiscal Year 2007 Fiscal Year 2008 Fiscal Year 2009 Fiscal Year 2010
“The Holidays” – Feature “Diamond Dog” – Feature “Finding Bliss” – Feature Banner Bank – Commercial
Lipitor – Commercial “Little Dizzle” – Feature “Alicia’s Book” – Feature “$5 Cover” – Feature
Mervyn’s – Commercial “Norman” – Feature Target – Commercial
“Letter to Bill Gates” – MOW “The Whole Truth” – Feature “The Ward” – Feature
“World’s Greatest Dad” – Feature
“The Golden Door” – Feature Campbell’s – Commercial
Commit – Commercial
“True Adolescents” – MOW “Dear Lemon Lima” – MOW Chevrolet – Commercial
“Travelling” – Feature “Give ’Em Hell, Malone” – Feature “The Details” – Feature
WA Lottery Tumbling –
Hyundai – Commercial “The Joneses” – Feature
Commercial
Mervyn’s LP – Commercial “The Big Bang” – Feature
“Oy Vey My Son Is Gay” – Feature MS in Store – Commercial
BECU – Commercial MS Sherlock – Commercial
“Wrong Turn at Tahoe” – Feature Xbox360 Lips – Commercial
WA Lottery Frisbee – Commercial “The Hit List” – Feature
“The Whole Truth” – Feature Coors – Commercial
“Late Autumn” – Feature
Catch 22 – Commercial
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 12
Fiscal Year 2011 Fiscal Year 2012 Fiscal Year 2013 Fiscal Year 2014
“Safety Not Guaranteed” – “Different Drummers” –
MS Natal – Commercial “You Can’t Win” – Feature
Feature Prod/Post – Feature
“Knights of Badassdom” –
Humira – Commercial “Touchy Feely” – Feature “Laggies” – Prod/Post – Feature
Feature
Toyota Running Footage – “Seven Minutes” – Prod/Post –
Cathay Pacific – Commercial “One Square Mile” – Feature
Commercial Feature
Ford Summer Sales Event –
Evergreen – Commercial MS Xbox Kinect – Commercial “The Architect” – Feature
Commercial
“Fat Kid Rules the World” –
“Grassroots” – Feature Xbox (062012) –Commercial “West of Redemption” – Feature
Feature
“The River Sorrow” – Feature “21 and Over” – Feature 99 Tigers – Commercial KIA – Commercial
Xbox – Commercial “Mine Games” – Feature “Admissions” – Feature Sugar Plum – Commercial
WA Lottery (Royale) –
Bank of America – Commercial “Eden” – Feature Glad – Commercial
Commercial
WA Lottery Celebration –
Xbox 360 (042012) – Commercial Bank of America – Commercial Samsung – Commercial
Commercial
“Safety Not Guaranteed” – WA Healthplan Finder –
Chevy Silverado – Commercial “A Bit of Bad Luck” – Feature
Feature Commercial
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance – “The Maury Island Incident” –
Humira – Commercial “Deep Burial” – Feature
Commercial Innovation Lab Project
Bridgestone – Commercial Cathay Pacific – Commercial “Lucky Them” – Feature “Touchy Feely” – Post
Green Mountain Coffee –
Ben Bridge – Commercial MS Xbox Kinect – Commercial “A Bit of Bad Luck” – Post
Commercial
American Family Insurance –
Green Squirrel – Commercial “You Can’t Win” – Post
Commercial
“Camilla Dickinson” – Feature “One Square Mile” – Post “Deep Burial” – Post
Navy Spirit Lake – Commercial
Chevy Crossroads – Commercial
WA Lottery Beneficiary –
Commercial
WA Lottery How to Play –
Commercial
WA Lottery Joust – Commercial
“Thunderballs” – MOW
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 13
Fiscal Year 2011 Fiscal Year 2012 Fiscal Year 2013 Fiscal Year 2014
Xbox Play – Commercial
Fiscal Year 2015 Fiscal Year 2016 Fiscal Year 2017 Fiscal Year 2018
“Z Nation,” Season Episodes 1-13 “Z Nation,” Season 3 Episodes 1- “Z Nation,” Season 4 Episodes 1-
Nissan – Commercial
– Episodic 15 – Episodic 13 – Episodic
“Tabitha Witch of the Order” –
“Captain Fantastic” – Feature Bank of America – Commercial “Polae” – Innovation Lab Project
Innovation Lab Project
Toyota Running Footage – “Wallflower” – Innovation Lab Untitled “Grey’s Anatomy” Spinoff
Ford – Commercial
Commercial Project – Episodic
“Z Nation,” Season 2 Episodes 1- “This Brute Land Virginia” –
Alaska Airlines – Commercial
15 – Episodic Innovation Lab Project
JP Morgan-Chase – Commercial “Rancho Rosa” – Episodic
“West of Redemption” – Feature
Subaru – Commercial
Post
“Salish Seas” – Innovation Lab
“The Architect” –Post
Project
“Box Walk” – Innovation Lab “Salish Seas” – Innovation Lab
Project Project Post
“Rocket Men” – Innovation Lab “War Room” – Innovation Lab
Project Project
“Strowlers” – Innovation Lab
Project
“Automata” – Innovation Lab
Project
Fiscal Year 2019 Fiscal Year 2020 Fiscal Year 2021 Fiscal Year 2022
“Z Nation,” Season 5 Episodes 1- “All Those Small Things” – Post
“East of the Mountains” – Feature “Boon” – Feature
13 – Episodic Producton
“Three Busy Debras,” Season 2
“Language Arts” – Feature “Home Sweet Home” – Feature
Episodes 1-10 – Episodic
“Three Busy Debras,” Season 1 “Midday Black Midnight Blue” ” –
Episodes 1-6 – Episodic Feature
“All Those Small Things” – “Year of the Fox” – Feature
Feature (Partial) †
“Language Arts” – Post “Going Home” – Season 1
Production Episodes 1-6 – Episodic
† This survey encompasses only some of the project expenses. The balance of the project was reported in
Fiscal Year 2023 which will be reflected in a future report.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 14
Appendix A: Summary Descriptive Statistics
Appendix A includes summary descriptive statistics for all productions that have been approved for funding assistance, completed principal
photography and been reviewed by Washington Filmworks through June 30, 2022.
Category FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013
Projects That Have Completed Principal Photography 2 8 14 16 22 9 14
and Completion Packages Have Been Reviewed
Verified Total Qualified Spend Per Review $1,047,031 $6,704,051 $15,808,957 $18,387,627 $13,465,933 $10,899,713 $9,435,555
Total Funds Distributed $203,665 $1,337,810 $3,205,607 $5,516,288 $3,992,689 $3,119,780 $2,570,383
Total Washington Hires 94 1,162 2,590 1,804 2,048 1,868 1,470
Total Non-Washington Hires 40 141 575 311 332 250 229
Salary Range Totals for Washington Residents
Up to $30,000; starting 2013, up to $15 per hour 93 493 364 843 211 223 765
From $30,000 to $60,000; starting 2013, from $15 to 1 54 412 488 512 354 287
$30 per hour
Over $60,000; starting 2013, over $30 per hour 0 145 270 209 316 221 418
Benefits Jobs
Up to $30,000 46 315 138 2 52 160 126
From $30,000 to $60,000 1 41 324 155 244 247 278
Over $60,000 0 138 111 85 182 221 360
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITVENESS REPORT 15
Category FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020
Projects That Have Completed Principal Photography 11 8* 9** 4*** 3**** 2† 4††
and Completion Packages Have Been Reviewed
Verified Total Qualified Spend Per Review $9,688,254 $11,109,475 $12,450,689 $8,689,410 $7,600,534 $8,857,697 $6,290,396
Total Funds Distributed $2,649,530 $3,366,665 $3,366,763 $2,943,560 $2,572,400 $2,999,472 $1,977,847
Total Washington Hires 1,294 2,491 2,696 2,025 1,806 2054 859
Total Non-Washington Hires 211 429 748 542 530 663 126
Salary Range Totals for Washington Residents
Up to $30,000; starting 2013, up to $15 per hour 619 1,023 963 722 340 577 272
From $30,000 to $60,000; starting 2013, from $15 to $30 270 831 995 726 513 519 353
per hour
Over $60,000; starting 2013, over $30 per hour 240 637 738 577 953 958 234
Benefits Jobs
Up to $30,000 118 60 17 3 10 1 9
From $30,000 to $60,000 256 744 755 654 289 277 139
Over $60,000 378 500 668 549 936 927 225
* For reporting practices, Washington Filmworks counts “Z Nation” Season 1 with 13 individual episodes as one project.
** For reporting practices, Washington Filmworks counts “Z Nation” Season 2 with 15 individual episodes as one project.
*** For reporting practices, Washington Filmworks counts “Z Nation” Season 3 with 15 individual episodes as one project.
**** For reporting practices, Washington Filmworks counts “Z Nation” Season 4 with 13 individual episodes as one project.
† For reporting practices, Washington Filmworks counts “Z Nation” Season 5 with 13 individual episodes as one project.
†† For reporting practices, Washington Filmworks counts “Three Busy Debras” Season 1 with 6 individual episodes as one project.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITVENESS REPORT 16
Category FY 2021 FY 2022 Totals
Projects That Have Completed Principal 0 5††† 131
Photography and Completion Packages Have Been
Reviewed
Verified Total Qualified Spend Per Review $116,212 $11,428,202 $151,979,737
Total Funds Distributed $31,241 $3,751,735 $43,605,435
Total Washington Hires 4 1,676 25,941
Total Non-Washington Hires 0 196 5,323
Salary Range Totals for Washington Residents
Up to $30,000; starting 2013, up to $15 per hour 0 31 7,539
From $30,000 to $60,000; starting 2013, from 0 575 6,890
$15 to $30 per hour
Over $60,000; starting 2013, over $30 per hour 4 1070 6,990
Benefits Jobs
Up to $30,000 0 4 1,061
From $30,000 to $60,000 0 156 4,560
Over $60,000 4 1020 6,304
††† For reporting practices, Washington Filmworks counts “Three Busy Debras” Season 2 with 10 individual episodes as one project and “Going Home
Season 1” with 6 individual episodes as one project.
2022 MOTION PICTURE COMPETITVENESS REPORT 17
File and source
- File
- 2023_commercereports-motion-picture-competitiveness-program-final-9f8830e5-.pdf
- Size
- 10,323,190 bytes
- SHA-256
- a94f54e5214643ee6204f9e9d8cf21f39a173fb7bdde5cc3bd243feb0c564deb
- Original
- No public link identified.