Movie Industry Transforming Chicago Jobs
A new movie is helping to transform the local economy and create hundreds of Chicago jobs.
Mayor Richard M. Daley recently announced that Transformers 3 will film in Chicago from July 10 to August 19. The film – to be directed by Michael Bay and released in 2011 – will result in an economic impact of at least $20 million and create more than 200 jobs.
Among those employees will be 10 paid interns from Chicago Public Schools. A partnership between CPS and Free Spirit Media, a nonprofit, has already allowed these students to work on video and music production projects.
“Moving forward, we must act with new ideas and new thinking – and we are – to help the private sector create jobs in Chicago and to keep our city at the top of everyone’s lists as a business location, a vacation destination and as a place to live, work and raise a family,” he said.
“We view the film industry as an important component of our economic development strategy for the future of Chicago, because movies made in Chicago showcase our city to the world, create excitement about it and provide jobs for our residents,” Daley added.
This spring a large number of television pilots were shot in Chicago. One, which is called “Ride Along,” has already been picked up and will be shot entirely in the city, providing near year-round employment for 200 local technicians and actors, as well as an economic impact of $40 million to $50 million per season.
And another unnamed feature film project directed by Ron Howard and starring Vince Vaughn has been shooting in Chicago since mid-May and will continue through mid-August.
“One of the reasons that Chicago is so attractive to producers is that it provides them with a variety of settings, both modern and historical,” Daley said. “And many of the world’s most talented actors live in Chicago, so filmmakers know that they can hire many of their actors right here – saving money without sacrificing quality.”
More than 900 films and television projects have taken place in Chicago since 1989, contributing more than $1.65 billion dollars to the local economy and creating more than 275,000 local jobs.