GUEST COLUMN by Chris Ortman, Communications Director / Creative America ■ As most Boxoffice readers already know, when we watch our favorite movies and television shows, we see only a small glimpse of a much larger production. What audiences don’t see are the countless creators and makers who work behind the scenes to make the great content we all love: directors, cinematographers, editors, makeup artists, lighting and sound technicians, costume designers and set builders, to name a few. Their hard work and creativity deserve to be celebrated and protected. RAMPANT PIRACY THREATENS OUR LIVELIHOOD More than 2 million Americans rely on the entertainment industry for their livelihood—it’s one of the country’s biggest exports. But sadly, content theft is jeopardizing our industry. Each year, content theft costs U.S. workers more than $5.5 billion dollars in wages and tens of thousands of jobs. Criminals, many operating overseas, are stealing American movies and TV shows, and online piracy is big business. Websites offering stolen content generate approximately 146 million visits per day and 53 billion visits per year, and more than 500,000 movies are illegally distributed each day worldwide. The economic impact of the entertainment industry is not limited to production. Distribution and exhibition-related jobs employ many more individuals and contribute to the economies of local communities. THEATER OWNERS ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED Those who are hurt most are not the big stars you see on the red carpet. They’re middle-class American workers—across all 50 states—who make their living in entertainment and are not compensated when creative works are stolen. They are the 95,000 small businesses that service the industry. Whether it’s from counterfeit DVDs on the black market, illegal filming with a camcorder or digital copies of films leaked online prior to Creative America—coming to a community near you UNITING TO FIGHT CONTENT THEFT release, movie theater owners are acutely aware of the increasingly harmful effects that content theft has on our industry and the nation’s economy. By recent estimates, movie theft costs theaters $670 million in the United States and more than $6 billion worldwide. And illegal camcording in theaters is responsible for supplying 90 percent of newly released content to bootleggers. GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING TO FIGHT BACK Creative America is a grassroots organization uniting the entertainment community and others against content theft. It brings together actors, directors, craft professionals, small businesses that service the industry, theater owners and others who make a living in and care about film and television and believe that creativity deserves to be protected. We are supported by an unprecedented coalition of major entertainment unions, guilds, studios, and networks, including CBS Corporation, the Directors Guild of America, IATSE International, NBCUniversal, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Viacom, the Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment. In communities across the country, Creative America grassroots organizers are recruiting supporters at film festivals and other industry-related events, disseminating educational materials and informing the general public and key stakeholders about the impacts of piracy. From movie fans at the box office to the local businesses community to elected leadership, our goal is to educate and raise awareness about the vital economic impact of entertainment to every community in America—and of the need to find solutions that protect the rights of creators and makers to earn a living and support small businesses that are so critical to local economies. But we can’t do it alone. As an industry—and as communities—we need to come together. Creative America needs your help. Please join us and help build this movement. Visit www.creativeamerica.org and sign up today! WHO’S HELPING TO BUILD THIS MOVEMENT Creative America is a grassroots campaign organizing in communities across the country to give creative professionals and small businesspeople who make a living in entertainment a voice in the fight against content theft. Here’s what some supporters are saying: “Content theft is a big problem for hardworking independent filmmakers and industry workers who make a living and care about their creative work.” –Louise Runge, production manager, Los Angeles “In an ever-changing digital world where the outlets for creating and distributing creative work for a profit is in flux, it’s important that all the information on piracy and its effects on artists at all levels is known—and that artists are kept informed and protected.” –David Spaltro, producer/director/writer, New York “It’s critical that we all respect the arts, its process and to protect it at all cost. Creative America has a platform and a presence that brings these issues to the forefront. Stop the theft—it hurts!” –Coco Owens, entertainment business consultant, Los Angeles “Piracy is not a ‘big movie’ problem. It’s a problem for all filmmakers, especially those that have no safety nets, no savings, nothing but hope that their single film, probably their one chance at making a film, can become successful.” –Adam Dick, producer, Playon <strong>Pro</strong>ductions, Chicago “Stealing someone else’s idea and profiting from it is wrong. It results in loss of revenue for the creator and for the host venue. I can’t think of a better way to support local artists and filmmakers than making sure their creative work is protected.” –Gayle J. Burris, executive director, Anderson Paramount Theater, Anderson, Indiana “As a united coalition of industry leaders, Creative America is uniquely positioned to ensure that the hard work and dedication of the television and film community may be sustained so that creativity will continue to thrive.” –Alan S. Clarke, managing partner, The Entertainment Law Group, Atlanta “It is urgent for our community to combat content theft. Content theft not only threatens all jobs, it affects production cost, collaboration and innovation.” –Frank Davis, assistant director, Woodland Hills, California “The Commission’s mission is to generate a positive impact on business tourism and the economy through the growth of the film, television and still photography industry. We are happy to work with organizations like Creative America that also educate and support creative professionals.” –Michelle Hillery, director of operations and programs, Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission, West Palm Beach, Florida 14 BOXOFFICE PRO NOVEMBER <strong>2012</strong>
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