Sony Pictures Imageworks to leave New Mexico (Albuquerque: lenders, hotel)

[aries63]

Originally Posted by mortimer

There has been no anti-film talk in this thread or any other thread.
I can't imagine that people would not be universally in favor of the
film industry doing business in this state. I'm certainly glad to see it.

Disingenuous, mortimer. You cannot say you support the film industry's presence while their presence depends on subsidies which you abhor. You yourself said "good riddance" to Sony. Is this the two-faced "we love the sinner, but hate the sin" kind of crap?

[Cornflakes]

Originally Posted by mortimer

There has been no anti-film talk in this thread or any other thread.
I can't imagine that people would not be universally in favor of the
film industry doing business in this state. I'm certainly glad to see it.

Is this your "Drive-by Sarcasm" at work?

[N8!]

My subsidy matters more than your subsidy.

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by aries63

Disingenuous, mortimer. You cannot say you support the film industry's
presence while their presence depends on subsidies which you abhor.

Sure I can. The film industry's presence does not depend on subsidies.
The film industry is extremely profitable and must produce films somewhere.
It might be that they will have a much diminished role in NM as they
chase giveaways from other states as they milk their taxpayers.

I can surely say that I support the film industry's unsubsidized continued presence.

Originally Posted by aries63

You yourself said "good riddance" to Sony. Is this the
two-faced "we love the sinner, but hate the sin" kind of crap?

Hardly.

I say "good riddance" to a company that doesn't need handouts, but solicits
handouts - that only locates in places where their business model includes,
basically, stealing from working people and giving to the executives.

It is what the US has done, nationally, with the financial industry.
I don't make distinctions between bankers and filmmakers.

Why do consider my belief that taking money from existing companies
and giving it to well-funded lobbying out-of-state companies "disingenuous?"

Here is a list of the top 40 ( Flying 40, a local growth-ranking list )
( unformatted and not sure I got them all ... ) The 2011 Flying 40 Awards:
------------------------------------------------
Abba Technologies, Inc. Caldera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Great River Technology Senspex Incorporated
Advanced Logistics Support Cor Commercial Data Systems HealthXnet (Healthcare Extrane Source Technologies, LLC
Affordable Solar Group, LLC Computational Analysis and Net Holman's, Inc. Speridian Technologies, LLC
Altela, Inc. CVI Melles Griot Ktech Corporation TEAM Technologies Inc.
Analytical Solutions, Inc. Deep Web Technologies, Inc. Los Alamos Technical Associate Technology Management Company,
Applied Research Associates, I Delta Group Electronics, Inc. Management Sciences, Inc. TechSource, Inc.
Applied Technology Associates Emcore Corporation Marpac Inc. Vista Photonics, Inc.
Ardham Technologies, Inc. Entereza, Inc. MZA Associates Corporation ZTEC Instruments, Inc.
Aspen Avionics, Inc. Fiore Industries, Inc. Sacred Power Corporation
------------------------------------------------

These companies created thousands of jobs here. How many jobs have not been
created because of additional taxes levied against them to help fund film subsidies?
I don't know if it can even be measured, but I am convinced, it's a factor.
Calling me a "two-face" is not a productive way to help win me over to the dark side.

Why do attribute malicious intent from me when I am simply trying to have
a civil disagreement on state expenditures? I see film subsidies has hurting
me. Somewhere, somehow, I have to pay more taxes to fund these rich
b@stards so that they can claim to be creating jobs for the little people.

I see it as crony capitalism. I am against it. It's up to proponents to
show me and others, in reasoned tones, that it is not crony capitalism.
I don't know how you are going get past the transfer payments part, but I welcome the dialogue.

Sorry.

I didn't like it when we handed taxpayer money to Haliburton and I don't like it when we do it with Sony.

Originally Posted by Cornflakes

Is this your "Drive-by Sarcasm" at work?

Just what are you saying was sarcasm in my post?

[theplu]

I am an artist at Imageworks and I would just like to respond to this:

"I watched the "promotional" video months before my trip, and I betcha that was created to lure talent from the West Coast...

Guess what? Looks like Sony's attempt failed."

That "promotional" video was developed and created by two animators here who just wanted to do a film documenting the experience of discovering a new city. It was done on their own time and with their own equipment. I was in 1 clip as I had just gotten here and hadn't really had that much time to explore yet. I'm a bit surprised at the disdain I'm sensing over us "gushing" about "your" city. No one in the movie claims that we discovered this "diamond". Quite frankly, when it was made, I don't even know if anyone thought too much about who would see it other than ourselves. But yes, we were discovering the city at the time and have grown to really like it here. I moved from LA 3 years ago to work here. I asked to be transferred because I pretty much hated LA. I'm not from there either. A lot of people with families willingly came here looking for a better life and for 3-4 years (which is how long most of us have lived here now), we found it. We're all really bummed.

I respect everyone's opinions on subsidies. The best use for taxpayer dollars is an important topic. And I honestly don't have the numbers myself to say that subsidizing my job here does anything for anyone else. But I can tell you that the day after the announcement was made public, I went to the local gym and the first thing they asked me was "how will this affect us?" I wonder about our friends down at the little AWESOME french bakery of whom many of us are regular customers as well as the other surrounding restaurants. Many of us bought homes here and cars and have kids in the schools. We pay taxes here. So it may just be 60 people but I can't help but believe that our presence in the community has some sort of web effect.

So good riddance to us I guess but I hope you realize that, while Hollywood is awash with money, it doesn't trickle down very far. We're just a bunch of regular people trying to make a living and do right by our families like anyone else.

[NMHacker]

Good luck, theplu. I hope it works out for you.

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by theplu

So good riddance to us I guess ...

Just to be clear - since I said it - I meant good riddance to the suckling corporate suits - not you and the other real people.

In sum, that was a well-written post that puts the human cost in perspective.

NM government started a plan, got people to change their lives around, and then other people ( the taxpayers )
started hearing ( ie. understanding ) what was happening to their tax dollars, then real people got hurt.

Subsidies to any business is not sustainable.

This is sort of like Afghanistan. It doesn't matter when you stop throwing
treasure at the problem/situation/whatever you want to call it.
It will fall apart the minute you stop throwing treasure at it.
Oh yeah ...... and people are going to get hurt.

[nonexpat]

Originally Posted by theplu

I am an artist at Imageworks and I would just like to respond to this:

"I watched the "promotional" video months before my trip, and I betcha that was created to lure talent from the West Coast...

Guess what? Looks like Sony's attempt failed."

That "promotional" video was developed and created by two animators here who just wanted to do a film documenting the experience of discovering a new city. It was done on their own time and with their own equipment. I was in 1 clip as I had just gotten here and hadn't really had that much time to explore yet. I'm a bit surprised at the disdain I'm sensing over us "gushing" about "your" city. No one in the movie claims that we discovered this "diamond". Quite frankly, when it was made, I don't even know if anyone thought too much about who would see it other than ourselves. But yes, we were discovering the city at the time and have grown to really like it here. I moved from LA 3 years ago to work here. I asked to be transferred because I pretty much hated LA. I'm not from there either. A lot of people with families willingly came here looking for a better life and for 3-4 years (which is how long most of us have lived here now), we found it. We're all really bummed.

I respect everyone's opinions on subsidies. The best use for taxpayer dollars is an important topic. And I honestly don't have the numbers myself to say that subsidizing my job here does anything for anyone else. But I can tell you that the day after the announcement was made public, I went to the local gym and the first thing they asked me was "how will this affect us?" I wonder about our friends down at the little AWESOME french bakery of whom many of us are regular customers as well as the other surrounding restaurants. Many of us bought homes here and cars and have kids in the schools. We pay taxes here. So it may just be 60 people but I can't help but believe that our presence in the community has some sort of web effect.

So good riddance to us I guess but I hope you realize that, while Hollywood is awash with money, it doesn't trickle down very far. We're just a bunch of regular people trying to make a living and do right by our families like anyone else.

Good luck to you. The reason we are here in NM is because my husband's job at Texas Instruments got outsourced to Taiwan. I sure know the feeling of a forced move. Where will you be transferred? I hope it's a transfer and not a lay-off.

[N8!]

First photo of Johnny Depp as Tonto (in NM, by the way..)

[theplu]

Thank you for the well wishes.

"Where will you be transferred? I hope it's a transfer and not a lay-off."

Many of us were offered positions in the new Vancouver office. Some might go up there but many of us have turned that down, myself included.

@nonexpat - so you moved here for your husband to work at TI and then they left? Sorry! I hope something works out for you. It is very frustrating to see good jobs leave the country.