The U.S. television and film industry has become a bigger labor force than commodities and energy, according to an analysis by the Motion Picture Association of America.
The production and distribution of TV shows and movies directly employs more people in 34 states than the combined total from the mining, oil and natural gas industries, it said.
This industry supports jobs and businesses in all 50 states and is also highly competitive globally – generating $17.2 billion in exports
The trade group’s report illustrates how broadly the U.S. entertainment industry has grown beyond the known creative enclaves of Los Angeles and New York. Jobs in television and film directly generated $76 billion in wages, with salaries that are 47 percent higher than the national average, the group said. The analysis of 2017 U.S. government data was partly delayed by the shutdown earlier this year, and included jobs linked to pay-television for the first time, the MPAA said.
The entertainment industry has spread across the U.S., beyond Southern California where the warm, sunny climate originally drew filmmakers to build the first production companies at the turn of the 20th century. Other states — including New York, Georgia, Louisiana and Illinois — have used tax credits and other local government incentives to draw production away from California to create their own thriving hubs.
“This industry supports jobs and businesses in all 50 states and is also highly competitive globally — generating $17.2 billion in exports and a positive balance of trade in every major market in the world,” Charles Rivkin, chairman and chief executive officer of the MPAA, said in a statement.
The popularity of these movies and TV shows overseas generated a trade surplus of $10.3 billion, the analysis showed.
(By Anousha Sakoui)