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Senator Lisa Brown Speaks To Prost Amerika
Senator Lisa Brown
Senator Brown: I met with Rich Cowan, who is the president of North by Northwest, a film company located in Spokane, Washington – which is where my legislative district is – and he relayed to me that there were film industry incentives that were happening in Oregon, Idaho and Canada, and that Washington was a little left out of the loop. Washington is a great place to shoot film and video, so we created the idea of an incentive that could be financed by a public-private partnership and could go to film and video production. I introduced the idea through a bill in the Washington State Senate in 2006, and it passed.
Prost Amerika: Have you any personal involvement in the film industry?
Senator Brown: I just love films. And there have been fledgling film productions in Spokane ever since I moved there. Friends of mine have worked behind the camera, behind the scenes and also as talent. I think it’s a great industry; it’s creative and fun and adds a lot to the local economy. For example, when people from Spokane go to see a film like "Vision Quest" that was filmed in Spokane (in the early 80s) – that’s actually where Madonna performed one of her songs in the movie, before she was a star – it just adds a lot to the culture of a place to have film and video production going on.
Prost Amerika: Why is film important to the economy of Washington state?
Senator Brown: The film industry is a clean industry and it is very complementary to an economy because it helps support the general arts and culture of a city or a state. And it’s also great for showcasing the natural beauty of a state like Washington.
Prost Amerika: As more and more television outlets congregate in fewer hands, is film becoming increasingly important as a political outlet?
Senator Brown: I think in the United States it is important to not have the film industry just dominated by a few producers but to really support small- and medium-sized companies. It keeps the industry more vibrant and more geographically dispersed.
Prost Amerika: Do documentaries make a difference?
Senator Brown: I love documentaries. I watch them with my teenage son. He is a musician and loves to watch documentaries about musicians but also likes learning about other kinds of artists. We recently watched a documentary about Allen Ginsberg. Documentaries allow me to share with him some of my excitement about culture and he can see it firsthand with clips in documentaries. We also recently watched a documentary called "The War at Home," which is about the early student protests against the Vietnam War. And, as a student who is against the current U.S. involvement in Iraq, it was interesting for him to see the difference.
Prost Amerika: What is your favorite film of all time?
Senator Brown: "The Graduate". Good soundtrack, as well as a good movie.
Prost Amerika: Where do you stand on the controversial issue of banning smoking in film?
Senator Brown: In favor of artistic freedom, I would not support prohibiting it.
Prost Amerika: How much does it help the economy and the image of Washington state when foreign filmmakers come here?
Senator Brown: I don’t know how much it helps our image: I imagine that could be mixed, depending on what kinds of films and videos get produced, but we love it anyway. It’s great for any two countries to understand each other better through film.
Prost Amerika: What would you say to any filmmaker thinking of locating here?
Senator Brown: I would say don’t just stop in Seattle, but also come check us out in Spokane.
Editor’s note: Washington State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, prime sponsored Senate Bill 6558, which created WashingtonFilmWorks (WFW), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping filmmakers bring their vision to both small and big screens. WFW offers funding assistance to commercials, television and feature films shooting in Washington State.
October 3, 2007