News & Events

To all Friends of Film & Media in Arizona … HELP!

We need your help bringing back the Arizona State Film Office.

In the next few days we need to send HUNDREDS of letters to Governor Ducey asking him to bring back the Arizona Film Office. Will you do three quick things that will make a big difference for the film industry? 

FIRST - would you please take a minute and write a short letter to Governor Ducey?  You can hand write it or type and print it, but please make it a physical letter on paper. Below you will find some copy points to help you compose your letter. Don’t copy and paste these suggestions. To be effective, the letter must be in your own words.

SECOND - put a stamp on it along with your return address and mail it. Yes, please don’t e-mail it, but send it through the US Postal Service. You remember, as in “snail mail.” We are doing it this way to make sure we are heard loud and clear, and so no one will be able to ignore the impact of hundreds of actual letters arriving on the Governor’s desk.

THIRD - ask others to help our cause. Reach out to co-workers, family, friends and anyone you think might help us. We need the help of everyone who believes that Arizona should be open for business; everyone who thinks the film industry should to come back to Arizona. HUNDREDS of letters is a lot, so your help is critical.

 Step One • Write A Letter:

Use your own words, don’t cut & paste your letter. Print it or hand write one, but please send the Governor a physical letter.

Remember we are asking for the Governor’s help, so it is very important to always be polite and positive. If you work in the film industry, please let him know. And if you do not work in the industry but you or your industry has benefited from the film industry or from a production that came to town, please include that in your letter.

We want to make this super easy for you. Below we have provided you with a couple of suggested ways to start your letter and a number of important points you could include, a description of what the Film & Media Office should do, and a closing statement for you to consider. We think it is important to keep it short. So please just pick your favorite points you think are most important. These suggested copy points are only for your convenience; please use your own words. It is very important that this be a personal, individual letter from you. And if you absolutely must cut, paste and print, please change the font. Again, we do not want this to feel like an automated effort, we want each letter to look as original as you are.

Please Address Your Letter Like This:

The Honorable Governor of Arizona Office of the Governor of Arizona 1700 W. Washington, 9th Floor Phoenix, Arizona 85007

 

Here Are Some Suggested Ways To Start Your Letter:

Dear Governor Ducey:

As a voter here in Arizona, I am writing to you to request that you support our once flourishing industry by using your office to bring back the Arizona Film Office in the Governor’s office by executive order.

Dear Governor Ducey:

As a small business owner here in Arizona, I am asking you to make the pro-business decision to bring back the Arizona Film Office in the Governor’s office by executive order.

Dear Governor Ducey;

I am writing to ask you to reinstate a Arizona Film & Media Office in the Governor’s office by Executive Order. Governor Jack Williams created the first film office that way and it remained for the next 35 years, helping bring millions of dollars of work to Arizona.

Dear Governor Ducey:

I work in the film industry and I am writing to you today to urge you to use your authority to bring back the Arizona Film Office in the Governor’s office by executive order. We are entering the production season and we have no one at the State level to answer the phone when someone calls to bring business to Arizona.

Dear Governor Ducey:

I am writing to you to let you know that my industry has been negatively affected by the lack of film work done in our state since 2010. Many of us feel this is directly related to the closing of the state’s film office in 2010 and no longer having anyone at the state level working to assist film and TV producers. So I am asking you to create an Arizona Office of Film & Media within the Governor’s office by executive order.

Here Are Some Points You Could Make In Your Letter: 

Remember, it is best to keep your letter to one page. 

Arizona has more than 100 years of history in the Film and Television industry and has produced some 1,600 feature films and numerous television shows, commercials and photo magazines. Those productions have provided countless jobs for many Arizonans, which have benefited the State of Arizona economically, culturally, financially and socially.



Films, television, photo shoots and commercials are some of the very best ways to promote and market Arizona to the world. A successful film or TV series has proven to promote tourism and can even create new tourist attractions.



Bringing back the Film Office is “pro-business.” More production means more small businesses will prosper and there will be more high-wage jobs.

The Film Office is good for the whole state. The film industry is an economic engine that impacts urban and rural communities all over the state as well as many non-film related industries, such as tourism, construction and retail.



The film industry is recession proof. Film, TV and commercial production goes on, even in a down economy.



Arizona should be open for business. Without a state Film Office, studios and production companies assume Arizona is not open for business and spend their money in other states.



This is an industry that brings millions of dollars to the State coffers. While on location, film, TV and commercial productions spend the vast majority of their location budgets with local companies, local locations and local hires.



A number of our state universities and community colleges have world-class film schools. More production work in Arizona means our students would have access to internships, jobs and vital connections to industry professionals. Our best and brightest may not have to leave the state to pursue careers.



This is an industry that wants to spend money here in Arizona. Our proximity to Los Angeles and the incredible diversity in our locations, our quality crews and talent makes Arizona a highly desirable place to film.



Be the pro-business Governor who revives Arizona’s film legacy.



When industry executives call ready to spend money in Arizona, no one answers the phone. As far as they can tell, Arizona is closed for business!

Please Add Something Like This To Your Letter:

A Film Office could serve within your office and lead the marketing of Arizona to the film and media industries as well as facilitate production that wants to film in the state. The film office personnel would serve as liaisons between the private and many public sector entities such as state parks, highways, cities and counties without film offices to protect the state’s assets. This includes coordinating, monitoring and tracking economic impacts of the film & media industry to the state, which includes hotel room nights, vehicle rentals, food from restaurants and grocery stores, plus job days, production days and other direct spending. State Film Office personnel will also advise you on film and communication issues.

And Here Is A Good Way To End Your Letter:

Arizona is known as a business-friendly state and the film business is one of the most attractive industries a state can target. Please bring the Arizona Film Office back by executive order.

 

Sincerely Yours,

(Your name goes here.)

Thank You so Much For Your Support & Sending This Letter!