REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION HOSTED BY ENTERPRISE IRELAND AND THE IRISH FILM BOARD
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION HOSTED BY ENTERPRISE IRELAND AND THE IRISH FILM BOARD WARNER BROTHERS STUDIO, LA
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
Let me begin by thanking Barry Meyer, CEO of Warner Brothers for his gracious introduction. It is a privilege to address this gathering of so many Irish people and our friends from the entertainment industry in this prestigious and world-renowned location. It is good to be here on the Warner Brothers lot, one of the most iconic studios in the history of cinema, to renew and strengthen the ties forged between our two countries through the medium of entertainment.
I thank our hosts, the co-organisers of tonight’s wonderful event - Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Film Board, two organisations with a common faith in the strength of Irish ingenuity and creativity. Creativity is in the Irish DNA - generations of Irish actors, directors, writers, designers and film-makers have made their names in Hollywood, and have inspired, excited and entertained so many on the big screen. More recent years have seen the flourishing of that creativity gene in a new generation of entrepreneurs who are technologically innovative and market-intuitive, and they have made their mark on this industry too.
Hollywood and Ireland have a proud relationship of film-making harking back to the early days of John Ford’s Oscar-winning films, The Informer and The Quiet Man. We remember too John Mill’s Oscar for Best Actor in Ryan’s Daughter and Brenda Fricker and Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot and more recent winners like Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, and this year’s Best Song Oscar for Once. One of the most recent and successful convergences of Hollywood and Ireland came from this very studio with the 2007 Warner Bros/Alcon feature PS I Love You which was shot between Ireland and New York. We look forward to welcoming Warner Brothers back to Ireland many more times in the future, and are delighted to have Ireland feature in scenes in next year’s Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Part of Ireland’s attractiveness to film-makers is, of course, our stunning scenery and landscapes. Ireland was one of the world’s leaders in introducing filming tax incentives, and Section 481, currently in its 17th year, continues to attract leading film and television projects to shoot on location in Ireland with its contribution of up to 20%.
The Irish government’s strong commitment to film, recently reinforced and expanded, is demonstrated by the fact that Section 481 is guaranteed through to the end of 2012 and by the opening of the Irish Film Board’s LA office back in 2006. The Irish Film Board is focused on attracting more North American film and television projects to shoot in Ireland with a combination of the Section 481 tax incentive and cash equity from its International Production Fund which in the past 3 years has invested approximately €6m in 18 film and television projects with a total production spend of €165m.
In 2008 alone The Irish Film Board invested approximately €16.5m of production funding into 36 film and television projects resulting in approximately €130m total production spending.
Having so many big productions locating in Ireland has had a powerful indirect effect in stimulating Irish-owned entertainment companies. The entertainment industry is very important to Ireland and, as with every other industry, innovation and entrepreneurship are changing it. Irish companies have been involved in creating these changes which have seen Ireland’s entertainment, digital media and games companies flourish. It’s good that representatives of many of these companies are with us here tonight. The emergence of these companies in Ireland demonstrates that one of the most significant spin-off benefits of big movies filming in Ireland is their role in stimulating native, entrepreneurial capabilities in this sector.
But not everyone here tonight is involved in the entertainment industry - this evening is a gathering of people from all walks of life, people involved in many different industries. This event demonstrates the sheer breadth of Irish people and Irish companies doing business in the US across a wide range of sectors. Through Enterprise Ireland, the Irish trade and technology board, Irish entrepreneurs are fast expanding their footprint in the US. returning the compliment of all those US investors who have created some 90,000 jobs in Ireland. Today, there are over 200 Irish companies with offices in the US employing over 80,000 Americans.
A growing number are located here in Southern California with almost 60 companies having a presence across California. These companies grew their business to the US by 16% last year, which is testament to the calibre of the technology and solutions that they offer in this major market.
Start-up business activity in Ireland is one of the strongest in Europe with investment in leading-edge product and service firms coming from investors in Ireland and overseas. Interestingly, many of these companies have been established by emigrants returning from the US where they acquired key technology and business skills, among them some from this region. It is good to see representatives from a number of those companies are with us today for they surely are Ireland’s future and they are well supported, of course, by Enterprise Ireland which invested in over 70 start-ups last year and will continue to invest in them to support their international growth.
All of us here share one precious link, and that is Ireland. Some of us were born in Ireland, some are part of the huge Irish global family. More are linked by their work or interests or friendships. While Ireland and the US have shared strong cultural ties for centuries, our business ties are now showing the same strength, building on an easy and longstanding cultural compatibility. The imaginative spirit that defines this region and is part of its restless curiosity is familiar to the Irish and we look forward to long being sources of innovative products and services that sharpen your competitive edge and advance your success, as well as good friends.
Occasions such as this gathering here tonight, which bring together so many individuals and groups who understand how exciting and important all of this can be, are vital for the success of the journey ahead, for every business endeavour needs the human to human contact, the handshake, the camaraderie and the trust that comes from befriending one another. That is something else the Irish are particularly good at as I hope will be evident this evening. My congratulations to everyone involved in putting the event together and my thanks to each and every one of you for showing your interest and commitment by being here.
Thank you.