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The following program is a
PBS Wisconsin original

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production.
>> Congress Keeps the budget

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knives sharp, carving away
at federal funding, while

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Wisconsin spending choices
cast an eye toward the

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bright lights of Hollywood.
[MUSIC]

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I'm Frederica Freyberg
tonight on "Here& Now",

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Democratic Congresswoman
Gwen Moore talks taking back

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the House in the midterm
elections. Our series

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uncovered looks at health
plans that aren't actually

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health insurance.
[MUSIC]

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the way for Hollywood to
light up Wisconsin with film

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maker tax credits. It's
"Here& Now" for July 18th.

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>> Funding for Here and Now
is provided by the Focus

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Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

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>> The dust is settling
after passage of the federal

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tax and Spending
Reconciliation bill, which

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is now law. What stands out
for its impact in Wisconsin?

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We turn to Democratic U.S.
Representative Gwen Moore of

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Milwaukee for her take on
what it means for people in

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her district. And thanks so
much for being here.

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>> Always good to be with
you, Fredricka.

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>> So what does stand out
for its impact in your

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district and across
Wisconsin?

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thing that is most
outstanding in this bill is

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the impact that will have on
health care, on the Medicaid

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cuts. Badger care, as we
call it in Wisconsin. The

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Affordable Care Act,
Obamacare cuts. And when you

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combine the work
requirements to receive

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Medicaid and when you the
confluence of all those

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forces means that they'll
probably be something like

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276,000 people in Wisconsin
who will not receive any

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kind of health care. And
when you just just the work

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requirements themselves will
cost 68,000. Individuals

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with no dependents to lose
health care. And so the

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theory of the case is that
these are just lazy boys in

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their mama's basements
playing video games, and

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there'd be no harm and no
foul to cut them off.

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Notwithstanding the fact we
don't. We believe this. This

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is not a real person. This
is just a trope. We're

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saying that in Wisconsin, a
person who say has two

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minimum wage jobs working at
fast food restaurant, they

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will at minimum wage,
working full time. They will

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make too much money to be
eligible for Medicaid. So

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they'll be whether they work
or not. They won't receive

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Medicaid. And then there are
a number of people who are

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truly eligible. They have
children. They're already

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working. Most people who
receive Medicaid are already

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working, but the numbers of
the bureaucracy and the

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paperwork that they have
added into the bill is

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really something that they
have monetized. They have

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monetized people's mistakes
so that if you don't re-up

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or come in every six months
to reconfirm that you're

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still disabled, or that you
will find yourself off

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Medicaid, and then those of
you remember Frederica,

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Wisconsin was one of those
states. I believe it was

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about 11 states that hadn't
taken advantage of the

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expansion of the Affordable
Care Act. And those people

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will see their premiums go
eight, nine times the amount

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that they're currently
paying. So say, for example,

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they were able to get a
silver plan. And for the

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purposes of keeping the math
simple of $100 a month, they

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might find themselves with
six, seven, $800 a month. We

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are thinking that the food
share cuts snap cuts. Not

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only will it cost thousands,
hundreds of thousands of

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people to be cut off food
share, but it will also mean

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that the state itself would
have to pay 75% of the

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administrative costs of the
of the food stamp program.

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The Snap program, as well as
if there are an error rates

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in excess of 6%, they'll
find themselves having to

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pay for portions of the food
stamp program, which to date

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that burden has never been
an unfunded mandate that

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will be placed on not only
Wisconsin, but statewide. So

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it is really a bad bill.
>> People who fall off of

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Medicaid because of the
provisions of this bill and

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potentially the burdensome
kind of paperwork, what will

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they do for health care
then.

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>> That will increase the
amount of uncompensated care

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that hospitals have to pick
up. And it also means that

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hospitals will have to make
decisions about what kind of

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health care they will or
will not provide. We've seen

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in the past, just recently,
in our own community

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maternity wards, closing,
where hospitals will decide

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we aren't going to do
cardiac catheterizations

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anymore. One of the things
is, is that, you know, the

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president predicts that
people won't even pay any

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attention. They won't even
notice some of these

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provisions don't come into
effect until after the 2026

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election. But that doesn't
mean that hospitals won't

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have to start planning and
how to not deliver services.

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Now.
>> We know that the Trump

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administration is apparently
making good on its promise

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to dismantle the US
Department of Education. And

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with it, as you suggested,
funds that go to high

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poverty K-12 schools and
special education. How

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pointedly will that be felt
in Milwaukee?

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>> Oh my God. I mean, you
know, when you think about

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their raison d'etre that
there's waste, fraud and

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abuse? I mean, that to cut
education is like cutting

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the lifeline of a community.
When you think about

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preparing the future
workforce, I can see it

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causing employers to flee
the state. These Republicans

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have demonstrated a real
distaste for education. I

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mean, and every everything
from K through 12 to higher

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education, where they're,
you know, conditioning, Pell

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Grants in a way that's never
been done before. Cutting

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off those, the ability for
parents to borrow money to

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send their kids to college.
It is like a really big

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mistake that's going to put
not only Milwaukee, but the

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nation behind.
>> You've said that there is

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truly no bottom to this
bill's cruelty, but what can

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you and other opponents do
about it?

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>> Well, you know,
Frederica, I you know. I, I,

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you know, I did I did not
have a good 4th of July. I

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was very, very upset. But
you know what? It ain't over

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until it's over. I think
now, as we go through this

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process, we are going to
continue to talk about it.

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We're going to continue to
try to win the midterm

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elections, win the hearts
and souls and minds of

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people. I know I've talked
to several people who

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confess to me that they
voted for Donald Trump, but

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they had no idea that that
he was going to do the kinds

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of things that he has done
to them, because indeed, the

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president's space needs
Medicaid almost more than

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anybody. The president's
base needs snap. And they

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certainly need educational
opportunities. They're not,

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you know, and I think that.
Many people who sort of

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thought that he was going to
focus on throwing out

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violent criminals who were
immigrants and they were

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going to get rid of the
waste, fraud and abuse. And

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of course, nobody wants
waste, fraud and abuse. But

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no one knew that, that all
these cuts were just going

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to result into a big
bonanza. You know, $4.5

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trillion for wealthy people
who don't really need it.

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While there are debates
about whether or not we

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should serve breakfast and
lunch to school children,

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nobody knew that that was a
trade off.

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>> Congresswoman Gwen Moore,
thanks very much for joining

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us.
well, Rodriguez.

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>> Thank you. Next week we
speak with first district

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Republican U.S.
Representative Brian Steil.

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As to congressional action
this week, both the House

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and Senate voted to rescind
funding already appropriated

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for the next two years to
the Corporation for Public

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Broadcasting. That's a $1.1
billion cut to PBS and NPR,

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PBS Wisconsin is a member
station of PBS.

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[MUSIC]
continuing coverage of

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prescription drugs, where
the cost for patients

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continues to skyrocket as
health coverage for critical

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medication declines in
uncovered here and Now,

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producer Marissa Wojcik
examines the complex systems

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driving these trends and the
stories of patients facing

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life or death choices. Our
next story is about a

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leukemia patient who had a
promising treatment that

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cost the same as buying a
house, and he couldn't

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access it without paying
upfront.

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>> All of a sudden, my
numbers were at like

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167,000, compared to like 4
or 5000.

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>> Kevin Walz has what's
called chronic lymphocytic

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leukemia or Kiel, a type of
blood cancer. He was

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suddenly in urgent need of
treatment.

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>> My cancer center. I can't
say enough about him.

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>> His oncologist had a
prescription that was

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promising, but it came at a
price.

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>> $13,000 before we could
ship this. And I said

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$13,000. Yes. That's what
this drug costs to be

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delivered without insurance.
>> He soon discovered his

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health plan wouldn't be
covering a dime of his

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medication. Calling it a
non-preferred specialty drug

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and putting him on the hook
for 100% of the cost.

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>> Nobody could do that. I
don't care who you are.

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>> This specialty drug costs
$13,000 per month. It's a

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non chemotherapy treatment.
And the first FDA approved

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medicine for people with a
high risk form of Kiel with

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no generic equivalent.
>> I got lots of denial

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letters and stuff over the
months saying that there was

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nothing they could do. And
I'm running low on my month

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supply and what am I going
to do next month?

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>> His clinic pleaded with
his health plan to cover

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some portion of his life
saving medication under the

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Affordable Care Act health
insurance plans have cost

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sharing requirements and
limits to what a patient has

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to pay out of pocket,
covering prescription drugs

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is considered an essential
health benefit. However,

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Kevin's health plan doesn't
fall under the ACA because

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it's not technically
insurance. Instead, his

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health coverage through his
employer is what's called a

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self-funded plan. These
plans are also known as

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self-insured, which is a bit
of a misnomer.

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>> We don't cover that
because we're a self funded

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insurance company.
>> A self-funded plan is not

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insurance.
>> Sarah Davis is the

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director of the center for
Patient Partnerships, a

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research and advocacy
program at UW-Madison.

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>> Being insurance is what
triggers state regulation,

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and there are rules those
companies need to follow in

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terms of mandatory benefits.
They need to cover, right.

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If there are claims being
denied the protections that

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that consumer has are
reduced. In self-funded

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plans.
>> Today, self-funded plans

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are the most predominant
form of health coverage in

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the US because they help
employers save money.

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>> Self-funding lets the
employer take control of the

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second or third biggest line
item on their budget.

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>> Mike Roach is the
director of business

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development at the Alliance,
a Wisconsin organization

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that helps employers design
self-funded health plans.

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>> If you're if you're not
trying to manage it and

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you're fully insured, you're
going to get an increase

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probably every year. The
last few years, that's been

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a double digit increase. And
it's getting more and more

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difficult for employers to
find a way to control that

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cost.
>> Making it difficult for

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employers to afford health
coverage.

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>> The reason that
self-funded plans came about

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is that employers realized
they were paying a fixed

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amount to the insurance
company, and then it was the

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insurance company had that,
while holding the risk could

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make the profit. And so
employers realized, hey, we

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if we hold all that money
ourselves and only pay a

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certain percentage in
claims, we're keeping that

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profit. The concern I have
as a health advocate is that

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a large motivation for
having a self-funded plan is

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to save money, and the place
that the that the money is

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saved is in paying out less
claims.

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>> A recent study shows the
top issue for Wisconsin

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businesses is to make health
care more affordable. That

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same study says the majority
of people in Wisconsin are

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very worried about their
cost of health care.

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>> Knowing that your
self-funded and that there's

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value to be found if you, as
the employee, are good

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00:15:07,641 --> 00:15:11,812
stewards of the plan and
seek value, that should have

232
00:15:11,879 --> 00:15:14,381
a trickle down effect so
that the next year you don't

233
00:15:14,448 --> 00:15:18,785
see your part of that
premium go up. You may not

234
00:15:18,852 --> 00:15:21,088
have to change deductibles
or co insurances so you can

235
00:15:21,154 --> 00:15:23,657
get some stability in your
plan.

236
00:15:23,724 --> 00:15:26,727
>> But it's often difficult
for people to even know what

237
00:15:26,793 --> 00:15:31,365
kind of plan they have.
>> It takes advocates and

238
00:15:31,431 --> 00:15:36,136
patients sometimes quite a
bit of time to parse out and

239
00:15:36,203 --> 00:15:39,406
figure out that it is not
insurance.

240
00:15:39,473 --> 00:15:44,311
>> A lot of it comes back to
transparency. What employees

241
00:15:44,378 --> 00:15:46,580
employer has now become the
insurance company. You know,

242
00:15:46,647 --> 00:15:48,916
whether you're fully insured
or self-funded. That plan,

243
00:15:48,982 --> 00:15:52,152
doc, is the same, I think as
long as an employee

244
00:15:52,219 --> 00:15:55,222
understands the high level
pieces of their plan design,

245
00:15:55,289 --> 00:15:57,958
deductibles, co insurances,
what's on their formulary

246
00:15:58,025 --> 00:16:02,763
list from their PBM, who's
in network from a doctor or

247
00:16:02,829 --> 00:16:07,100
hospital standpoint that's
going to cover 95 to 98% of

248
00:16:07,167 --> 00:16:08,902
everything they do during
the year.

249
00:16:08,969 --> 00:16:12,105
>> So who pays for the big
ticket items?

250
00:16:12,172 --> 00:16:14,374
>> You know, there's a
couple of drugs coming out.

251
00:16:14,441 --> 00:16:16,710
They're going to be $3
million a piece. How am I

252
00:16:16,777 --> 00:16:20,147
going to cover those? And
how does that trickle down

253
00:16:20,214 --> 00:16:23,016
to the humerus. And the
stellaris that folks need on

254
00:16:23,083 --> 00:16:26,820
a more regular basis, but
are still, you know,

255
00:16:26,887 --> 00:16:29,289
thousands of dollars a
month?

256
00:16:29,356 --> 00:16:31,859
>> Advocates say self-funded
plans can create a conflict

257
00:16:31,925 --> 00:16:35,262
of interest for employers
who suddenly have an

258
00:16:35,329 --> 00:16:37,631
employee with expensive
health needs.

259
00:16:37,698 --> 00:16:41,502
>> Maybe you could check in
to going part time and see

260
00:16:41,568 --> 00:16:44,471
if Medicare or something
would help out. And I

261
00:16:44,538 --> 00:16:49,443
thought to myself, really?
You want me to go part time

262
00:16:49,510 --> 00:16:52,446
now? I'm going to lose
benefits. I'm going to lose

263
00:16:52,513 --> 00:16:56,783
my insurance, and I'm going
to be part time. Is this a

264
00:16:56,850 --> 00:16:59,753
way to weed me out?
Eventually.

265
00:17:03,490 --> 00:17:07,160
situation, right. The
employer wants to protect

266
00:17:07,227 --> 00:17:09,596
the employee, right? They
want to get the most for

267
00:17:09,663 --> 00:17:13,066
their money. Once we're in a
self-funded situation, the

268
00:17:13,133 --> 00:17:15,702
employee is at odds with the
employer.

269
00:17:15,769 --> 00:17:18,405
>> The side effects of
dealing with it all took a

270
00:17:18,472 --> 00:17:21,508
toll.
>> One day I sat on my phone

271
00:17:21,575 --> 00:17:26,146
on hold from one of the drug
companies for over six

272
00:17:28,215 --> 00:17:32,719
hours. Just stressing me out
to the point where I was not

273
00:17:32,786 --> 00:17:36,056
paying attention to my
healing.

274
00:17:36,123 --> 00:17:38,659
>> Advocates at his clinic
didn't let up.

275
00:17:38,725 --> 00:17:42,062
>> They're very persistent,
very persistent.

276
00:17:42,129 --> 00:17:45,365
>> Exhausting every possible
avenue to access his

277
00:17:45,432 --> 00:17:48,669
medicine. After months of
setbacks, good news arrived

278
00:17:48,735 --> 00:17:52,139
from his clinic.
>> She kept calling me and

279
00:17:52,206 --> 00:17:54,408
calling me and calling me.
She couldn't tell me the

280
00:17:54,474 --> 00:17:57,411
news fast enough that they
had come through. The drug

281
00:17:57,477 --> 00:17:59,646
manufacturer said they were
going to provide the

282
00:17:59,713 --> 00:18:02,416
remaining dose of his
treatment at no cost.

283
00:18:02,482 --> 00:18:04,952
>> I don't think anybody
should have to fight for

284
00:18:05,018 --> 00:18:10,023
their life like that. It's
hard enough just to sit back

285
00:18:10,891 --> 00:18:15,796
and think about me not being
here for the people around

286
00:18:15,863 --> 00:18:20,434
me. I worry about not being
here. Normal, I guess.

287
00:18:29,176 --> 00:18:33,614
>> I worry for people who
don't have hours and hours

288
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:38,819
and hours to read fine print
and you know, make sure that

289
00:18:39,820 --> 00:18:42,890
they're going to get what
they need. If, you know, if

290
00:18:42,956 --> 00:18:45,692
they get ill.
>> In the end, Kevin hopes

291
00:18:45,759 --> 00:18:49,563
some good will come from his
experience.

292
00:18:51,632 --> 00:18:54,868
several years ago. Even
after he would go and have

293
00:18:54,935 --> 00:18:57,738
spinal taps and stuff, he
always said if they can

294
00:18:57,804 --> 00:19:01,074
learn something from my
treatments for the next

295
00:19:01,141 --> 00:19:04,811
people, I've accomplished
something in life. I say the

296
00:19:04,878 --> 00:19:09,550
same thing. If they can get
something out of me for

297
00:19:09,616 --> 00:19:13,320
other people, I've done
exactly what I wanted to do

298
00:19:13,387 --> 00:19:16,089
in life.
>> Reporting from Palmyra.

299
00:19:16,156 --> 00:19:19,393
I'm Marisa Wojcik for "Here&
Now".

300
00:19:20,627 --> 00:19:25,599
>> In state budget news from
1987 to 2005, the state had

301
00:19:25,666 --> 00:19:28,602
a film office spending
millions of dollars to

302
00:19:28,669 --> 00:19:31,538
attract blockbuster
productions like Public

303
00:19:31,605 --> 00:19:36,143
Enemies to film in Wisconsin
in a sort of take. Two state

304
00:19:36,210 --> 00:19:39,546
lawmakers just agreed to
fund a new production

305
00:19:39,613 --> 00:19:43,350
incentive program. The state
budget reestablished the

306
00:19:43,417 --> 00:19:46,320
Wisconsin Film Office and
offers up to $5 million in

307
00:19:46,386 --> 00:19:50,290
tax credits to filmmakers.
They're banking on more

308
00:19:50,357 --> 00:19:53,327
Hollywood movie makers and
local filmmakers to bring

309
00:19:53,393 --> 00:19:57,030
their work to Wisconsin.
Here and now, reporter Murv

310
00:19:57,097 --> 00:20:00,834
Seymour has details.
>> Thanks, everybody for

311
00:20:00,901 --> 00:20:03,136
coming. This is such a cool
turnout. Let's talk about

312
00:20:03,203 --> 00:20:05,439
bringing Tinseltown to the
Chippewa Valley.

313
00:20:05,506 --> 00:20:08,442
>> On this cool summer
evening in the heart of

314
00:20:08,509 --> 00:20:11,879
downtown Eau Claire.
writing, story editing.

315
00:20:11,945 --> 00:20:15,415
>> Locals passionate about
filmmaking have come to the

316
00:20:15,482 --> 00:20:18,519
town's library to learn.
You can say that if you're

317
00:20:18,585 --> 00:20:21,054
an actor, you can say that.
>> Learn from each other

318
00:20:21,121 --> 00:20:24,124
about what they can do to
encourage and cultivate more

319
00:20:24,191 --> 00:20:26,860
filmmaking projects, large
and small, to be made in the

320
00:20:26,927 --> 00:20:29,396
state of Wisconsin.
>> This turnout is crazy.

321
00:20:29,463 --> 00:20:31,398
>> Tim Schwagel helps set up
for this night of

322
00:20:31,465 --> 00:20:34,601
collaborating.
lot of people care about

323
00:20:34,668 --> 00:20:37,504
filmmaking, care about film
or art in general. We're

324
00:20:37,571 --> 00:20:39,473
kind of an island where it
doesn't feel like there's a

325
00:20:39,540 --> 00:20:42,376
lot of people that do
filmmaking in the area. But

326
00:20:42,442 --> 00:20:44,912
as I've learned over the
years, is that people just

327
00:20:44,978 --> 00:20:47,748
kind of appear and you meet
someone who's right in the

328
00:20:47,814 --> 00:20:50,684
same town. It's like, oh,
you do this too. So this is

329
00:20:50,751 --> 00:20:53,754
kind of the first time that
we've had an event that

330
00:20:53,820 --> 00:20:56,223
brings us all to one spot.
>> Almost 70 people

331
00:20:56,290 --> 00:20:59,359
passionate about filmmaking
>> Somebody who sold a

332
00:20:59,426 --> 00:21:01,295
Netflix movie, other people
who have shown their

333
00:21:01,361 --> 00:21:03,797
documentary around the
state. Actors, writers. We

334
00:21:03,864 --> 00:21:06,200
got Christmas tree farms. We
can do Christmas movies

335
00:21:06,266 --> 00:21:08,268
here.
>> Tonight's event has been

336
00:21:08,335 --> 00:21:11,205
organized and is led by
Nathan Deming, a Los Angeles

337
00:21:11,271 --> 00:21:14,074
filmmaker who splits his
time between Hollywood and

338
00:21:14,141 --> 00:21:17,711
his hometown of Eau Claire.
>> Roll camera please.

339
00:21:17,778 --> 00:21:20,914
>> So far, he's shot five
movies in Wisconsin. He

340
00:21:20,981 --> 00:21:23,150
wants to boost local
filmmaking in big Hollywood

341
00:21:23,217 --> 00:21:26,453
productions in the state.
[MUSIC]

342
00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,356
You're watching a clip from
his most recent movie called

343
00:21:29,423 --> 00:21:32,826
February.
least in my world, could

344
00:21:32,893 --> 00:21:35,696
have predicted ten years ago
that we'd be looking at

345
00:21:35,762 --> 00:21:39,266
headlines that Hollywood is
leaving LA. I think the new

346
00:21:39,333 --> 00:21:42,236
future is that films going
to be everywhere in the

347
00:21:42,302 --> 00:21:44,605
hotspots, and it's going to
be because of things like

348
00:21:44,671 --> 00:21:47,574
the film office.
>> At a time when a movie

349
00:21:47,641 --> 00:21:49,743
can be made anywhere. Up
until now, Wisconsin was one

350
00:21:49,810 --> 00:21:52,546
of only three states with no
state film office and one of

351
00:21:52,613 --> 00:21:55,249
only a few states that
didn't offer financial

352
00:21:55,315 --> 00:21:57,217
incentives to help lure
productions to the state.

353
00:21:57,284 --> 00:22:00,287
>> It is all about money.
[MUSIC]

354
00:22:01,188 --> 00:22:02,489
there's free money.
>> Production incentives are

355
00:22:02,556 --> 00:22:06,527
the number one factor that
production companies

356
00:22:06,593 --> 00:22:08,395
consider when they decide
where to film.

357
00:22:08,462 --> 00:22:11,798
>> I met with former Miramax
movie executive Jeff Kurz

358
00:22:11,865 --> 00:22:14,668
Inside Independent Studios,
a post-production house in

359
00:22:14,735 --> 00:22:17,471
Milwaukee that serves large
Hollywood based productions

360
00:22:17,538 --> 00:22:22,543
and local ones to. I'm going
to guess that you're a

361
00:22:22,609 --> 00:22:25,445
pretty important guy in the
city.

362
00:22:25,512 --> 00:22:28,615
his movie Deep Woods, and
his last two films in

363
00:22:28,682 --> 00:22:30,417
Wisconsin.
>> Filmmaking is not

364
00:22:30,484 --> 00:22:32,953
something that just happens
in New York or Los Angeles

365
00:22:33,020 --> 00:22:35,422
or Atlanta or Chicago.
>> Kurz represents a

366
00:22:35,489 --> 00:22:38,392
steering committee of
filmmakers, business owners,

367
00:22:38,458 --> 00:22:41,128
government officials and
others who want Wisconsin to

368
00:22:41,195 --> 00:22:43,397
compete with neighboring
states in luring filmmakers

369
00:22:43,463 --> 00:22:46,533
to film in the Badger State
by dangling tax breaks.

370
00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,136
>> When I was having a
conversation with somebody

371
00:22:49,203 --> 00:22:51,839
in Eau Claire, I said,
listen, you have a beautiful

372
00:22:51,905 --> 00:22:55,242
community. It is picture
perfect to make a movie.

373
00:22:55,309 --> 00:22:59,179
There. But without a film
office, there is nobody to

374
00:22:59,246 --> 00:23:02,850
tell an out of state
production how great you

375
00:23:02,916 --> 00:23:04,785
are.
>> There's Banbury Place,

376
00:23:04,852 --> 00:23:07,821
this crazy factory thing.
You know, the rivers, you

377
00:23:07,888 --> 00:23:10,123
know, we have so many
locations here.

378
00:23:10,190 --> 00:23:12,292
>> Wisconsin's revitalized
film office will now become

379
00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:14,695
part of the state's tourism
department.

380
00:23:14,761 --> 00:23:17,564
>> We are turning football
fans into Wisconsin fans

381
00:23:17,631 --> 00:23:21,535
every moment. We caught up
with its leader during the

382
00:23:21,602 --> 00:23:25,272
2020 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
>> Is a lot about those

383
00:23:25,339 --> 00:23:27,374
people coming into Wisconsin
to do the production and

384
00:23:27,441 --> 00:23:29,943
building a whole cottage
industry around that, but

385
00:23:30,010 --> 00:23:32,713
it's also about setting a
perception once it's on the

386
00:23:32,779 --> 00:23:35,115
big screen. That's also
important to the long term

387
00:23:35,182 --> 00:23:38,819
perception of Wisconsin.
>> In 2024, the hit TV

388
00:23:38,886 --> 00:23:42,055
series Top Chef filmed in
Milwaukee. The show is a

389
00:23:42,122 --> 00:23:45,092
highlight reel of Wisconsin
culture, cuisine and

390
00:23:45,158 --> 00:23:47,661
community that has the
entire state cashing in from

391
00:23:47,728 --> 00:23:50,731
its worldwide audience.
>> Because people were

392
00:23:50,797 --> 00:23:52,866
seeing this restaurant or
that restaurant and then

393
00:23:52,933 --> 00:23:56,470
just wanted to go there and
try it. All of that is

394
00:23:56,537 --> 00:24:00,908
possible as a reverberation
from from filmmaking,

395
00:24:00,974 --> 00:24:04,378
television making. So it's
not just the filmmakers who

396
00:24:04,444 --> 00:24:07,014
would benefit from something
like that. It's really the

397
00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:09,016
whole state.
>> The county of Milwaukee

398
00:24:09,082 --> 00:24:12,686
saw an uptick of $1.5
million in hotel room

399
00:24:12,753 --> 00:24:17,424
rentals alone from people
coming here to see to see

400
00:24:18,158 --> 00:24:20,260
Wisconsin, right, to see
what they had seen on

401
00:24:20,327 --> 00:24:23,797
television.
>> New Mexico implemented

402
00:24:23,864 --> 00:24:26,800
these and then got Breaking
Bad, which was not written

403
00:24:26,867 --> 00:24:29,536
for New Mexico. It just went
there because of tax

404
00:24:29,603 --> 00:24:30,604
incentives. And then
suddenly it not only got

405
00:24:30,671 --> 00:24:34,241
that, it got better Call
Saul. So two hit shows.

406
00:24:34,308 --> 00:24:36,476
>> The talent's here and
it's always a roll of the

407
00:24:36,543 --> 00:24:39,613
dice to see if something
blows up. But I think it's

408
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,216
easy for us to forget here
in Wisconsin that Wisconsin

409
00:24:42,282 --> 00:24:45,786
is just gorgeous.
of that. The Driftless

410
00:24:45,853 --> 00:24:48,822
Region, gorgeous. And Lake
Michigan. So we have all of

411
00:24:48,889 --> 00:24:52,426
these different terrains. We
have cities like Madison and

412
00:24:52,492 --> 00:24:55,128
Milwaukee.
>> Superior offers 25% film

413
00:24:55,195 --> 00:24:58,332
incentive for the city
itself. If you stay at their

414
00:24:58,398 --> 00:25:02,302
hotels. Right. As LA is
losing jobs and filming,

415
00:25:02,369 --> 00:25:05,706
Illinois is exploding.
Minnesota is exploding. City

416
00:25:05,772 --> 00:25:08,775
like Duluth. A lot of
filming happening on the

417
00:25:08,842 --> 00:25:11,278
Duluth side. Nothing on the
Wisconsin side. And it's

418
00:25:11,345 --> 00:25:13,313
just because of film
incentives.

419
00:25:13,380 --> 00:25:15,315
>> There are no dollars that
are better than Hollywood

420
00:25:15,382 --> 00:25:17,951
dollars.
Hollywood filmmaker and

421
00:25:18,018 --> 00:25:21,488
Milwaukee native John Ridley
when it comes to him or any

422
00:25:21,555 --> 00:25:24,124
other large budget film
shooting in Wisconsin, he

423
00:25:24,191 --> 00:25:26,994
point blank told me this.
>> Until Wisconsin gets tax

424
00:25:27,060 --> 00:25:28,862
credits, and that's
something that I've

425
00:25:28,929 --> 00:25:30,931
advocated for. No, that's
not going to happen.

426
00:25:30,998 --> 00:25:33,567
>> Ridley proudly tells me
he routinely shoots smaller

427
00:25:33,634 --> 00:25:36,737
projects in Wisconsin.
>> But in terms of doing

428
00:25:36,803 --> 00:25:38,539
feature films out here,
whether it's myself or

429
00:25:38,605 --> 00:25:40,440
anybody else, Wisconsin, I'm
going to look into the

430
00:25:40,507 --> 00:25:43,277
camera. You got to get tax
credits. We've talked about

431
00:25:43,343 --> 00:25:45,879
this. You got to advocate
for tax credits.

432
00:25:45,946 --> 00:25:48,115
>> Enough said. Mr. Ridley.
action.

433
00:25:48,182 --> 00:25:51,251
>> Georgia built a really
good film incentive program

434
00:25:51,318 --> 00:25:53,687
and brought in a lot of
business. And there's movies

435
00:25:53,754 --> 00:25:57,457
now that are set in New York
City. But if you watch the

436
00:25:57,524 --> 00:26:01,094
credits, there's going to be
of it. There is zero

437
00:26:01,161 --> 00:26:03,664
soundstages in the entire
state of Wisconsin. So right

438
00:26:03,730 --> 00:26:07,768
now that's a huge thing that
if productions want to film

439
00:26:07,835 --> 00:26:09,703
like 100 years, the film
industry is morphing and we

440
00:26:09,770 --> 00:26:12,773
have a real opportunity to
pick up the work, just like

441
00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:14,341
our neighbors Illinois and
Minnesota are doing.

442
00:26:14,408 --> 00:26:17,110
>> Reporting from Eau
Claire. I'm Murv Seymour for

443
00:26:17,177 --> 00:26:22,082
"Here& Now". For more on
this and other issues facing

444
00:26:22,149 --> 00:26:25,152
Wisconsin, visit our website
at PBS Wisconsin and then

445
00:26:25,219 --> 00:26:28,255
click on the news tab.
That's our program for

446
00:26:28,322 --> 00:26:30,357
tonight. I'm Frederica
Freyberg. Have a good

447
00:26:30,424 --> 00:26:32,092
weekend.
[MUSIC]

448
00:26:45,172 --> 00:26:47,541
>> Funding for here and Now
is provided by the Focus

449
00:26:47,608 --> 00:26:52,279
Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.