In the classic Western “Shane,” Joey Starrett hears a hard lesson about Rufus Ryker’s ruthless campaign against the homesteaders: “It’s the same old story … and you can’t learn that lesson but once.”Today, that story is economic and cinematic. And America has learned this lesson more than once: If you take an industry for granted, its jobs, revenue and know-how move overseas and don’t come back.

Film and television production, an export industry with a $9 billion trade surplus, risks following the same script. Forty-five percent of U.S. films and scripted television shows were shot abroad in 2025, up from about one-third three years earlier. That is not just a scene change. It is skilled work, artistry and investment leaving the U.S.

States have responded aggressively. Georgia provides a revealing close-up. It built a robust production hub with incentives of up to 30 percent, attracting billions in spending, building soundstages, and developing a talented workforce. Marvel spent more than $3 billion in Georgia over nearly a decade, including “Black Panther” and two “Avengers” movies. It later shifted much of that work to the United Kingdom, where national incentives changed the math.

Georgia did what it was supposed to do. It built a formidable screen industry. But a state is not a country. States can influence where projects land; they cannot alone ensure those projects stay in the U.S. That is why the newly introduced Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act aims to create a federal tax incentive to work alongside state programs.

A federal film incentive should be simple, targeted and accountable. The proposed legislation offers a 20 percent tax credit for U.S. production labor, including crew wages. The credit could rise to 30 percent for independent productions, projects filming in qualifying rural opportunity zones or federally declared disaster areas, or those returning from overseas. The goal is clear: bring more film and television work home and create lasting American jobs.

A single movie or television shoot can employ hundreds and support scores of small businesses. Nationally, the industry supports more than 2 million jobs and $202 billion in wages, and 93 percent of its nearly 162,000 businesses employ fewer than ten people. Most are working- and middle-class jobs. Camera operators and editors, for example, earn a median of around $75,000 a year. Grips, electricians, drivers, costume designers, tailors, set designers, construction workers, casting directors, animators, producers, production assistants, and office staff keep cameras rolling. When production leaves, those paychecks and purchase orders go with it.

This is a national industry. Almost 40 states offer film incentives. Oklahoma reports an economic impact exceeding $531 million from its program. Kentucky notes nearly $795 million in production expenditures since 2022. Pennsylvania projects its 2025-26 credits to generate $1.1 billion in economic activity across 35 counties. Utah’s rural film incentive has driven more than $200 million in spending since 2022.

Still, even strong state programs can be outbid when other countries offer more competitive packages. Sixty-five countries offer national production incentives. Some, like Canada, Australia and Japan, combine them with regional programs, giving them an even greater advantage. A federal incentive won’t diminish competition among states; it will strengthen their ability to compete globally while rewarding those that innovate most.

Any federal incentive must include commercials. They are a vital economic pillar of the industry. When commercials leave, a dependable source of work and benefits goes with them. Thousands of middle-class professionals depend on them for income as well as health insurance and pension coverage.

Commercial production has hollowed out at home as shoots move overseas, where countries aggressively court and often win the business. That same dynamic can work in America’s favor, allowing communities across the country to compete for that work.

Many states, including Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Ohio, and Nevada, include commercials in their incentive programs because they create well-paying jobs. A federal credit can enhance that approach, making it easier to produce domestically without forcing people to compete globally by accepting lower rates. The bill currently excludes commercials. That needs to change.

The fair question is whether a federal incentive is a sound investment for the taxpayer. To pass that test, the credit should remain tied to verified U.S. employment, with clear accountability measures so taxpayers can see the results.

The industry won’t stand still. Global competition, changing audience habits, and new technologies are rewriting the script. Disruption isn’t necessarily a threat; it can be an opportunity if America strengthens the infrastructure that generations have built and prepares for the next act.

New filmmakers and storytelling formats will emerge from established studios, independent creators, and platforms not yet invented. The question is whether workers, artists and businesses can build that future here.

The next great American story can come from anywhere. Let’s make sure it gets made in America.

James Babbin is a film and audio producer, an actor and a member of the Coalition for American Production.