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click images for larger view and details
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On July 20th, members of the DGA PAC Leadership Council hosted a lunch for Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) at the Guild's New York office. The gathering provided a great opportunity for open discussion about runaway production, tax incentives, diversity in the entertainment industry and other issues of considerable importance to DGA members.
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UPM Henry Bronchtein, DGA Eastern Executive Director Russ Hollander, Director Allen Coulter, DGA Third Vice President/PAC LC Co-Chair Taylor Hackford, DGA Alternate Board Member Laura Belsey, Director Gary Winick, DGA Fourth Vice President Gary Donatelli, DGA Associate Board Member Mary Rae Thewlis, Director Andrew Bergman, Congressman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), UPM Richard Brick, DGA Second Alternate Board Member/Eastern AD/SM/PA Council Chair Dennis W. Mazzocco, DGA First Vice President/PAC LC Co-Chair Paris Barclay, DGA Alternate Board Member Ted Bogosian, Director Casey Childs, and DGA Second Vice President William M. Brady. - photos by Marcie Revens - click images for larger views
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Congressman Rangel gives his viewpoint on piracy and runaway production.
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Rangel opened the lunch by thanking Leadership Council members for all the "wonderful, intangible things that they bring to our quality of life," and noted his ongoing efforts in the fight against piracy and runaway production. The Congressman told the gathered members that he had recently returned from China where he addressed the issue of piracy directly with that country's Trade Minister. "I told him that stealing is stealing," remarked Rangel, reaffirming his commitment to the protection of intellectual property and copyright.
The lunch was a chance for Guild members to meet with Congressman Rangel since he became Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in January of 2007. Those present used the opportunity to express their concern over the recent Treasury/IRS changes to the 2004 JOBS Act (Section 181) that make it harder for low budget and small productions to effectively use the new tax incentives provided for in the bill. The House Ways and Means Committee has exclusive jurisdiction over all issues of taxation, including all forms of tax incentives for domestic film and television production. Congressman Rangel sympathized with these concerns and added that he was committed to local production not just for economic reasons, but also because it "creates an environment where people feel like they can make it," referring to provisions in the bill that encourage production in lower income communities.
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Director Allen Coulter asks the Congressman a question.
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After DGA First Vice President and DGA PAC Leadership Council Co-Chair Paris Barclay thanked Congressman Rangel for his "years of speaking truth to power" and his "dear friendship to the Guild," other members of the Leadership Council had a chance to offer their own appreciation. Many of those present remarked on the concrete ways that tax incentives for production in New York had made a notable, positive difference in their lives. Members from film, episodic television, daytime serial television, commercials, documentaries, and news and sports, expressed sincere gratitude to Congressman Rangel for his dedication to ensuring the entertainment industry's continued presence in the city.
Before the lunch was over Congressman Rangel urged DGA members to do whatever they could to increase diversity in the industry. He asked all the members present to reflect on their own efforts to include more women and minorities in their productions, as well as offering his assistance and ongoing interest in these efforts.
The Congressman is currently serving his 19th consecutive term as a member of the US House of Representatives. He is a co-founder of the Black Congressional Caucus and as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington. Aside from his many other accomplishments, Rangel received a 2002 DGA Honor for his longtime efforts to end runaway production, and in particular for his support of the film community in his native New York.
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