My name is Jennifer Tremblay, and I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I earned my bachelor’s degree at Lasell College and my master’s at Brandeis University. I’ve been working in the Massachusetts film industry since 2008 as a costume designer, tailor, ager/dyer, and costumer. Like all of my coworkers, I live and breathe what I do. People in the film industry are some of the hardest working and most dedicated people. My coworkers and I work long hours and keep very positive attitudes. It is a passion as well as a career for all of us.
Taking away the film tax incentive would have a crippling affect on all of us. I am a newlywed, and my goal this year was to buy my first home in Massachusetts. If the tax incentive goes away, I will be out of a job and unable to reach my goal of buying a home and raising a family in my home state. It will also make my long-term plans of opening my own business here seem impossible.
The film tax incentive brings good jobs to good people, but it also brings money into local businesses. As a costume designer, I’ve seen firsthand where the money is being spent. I’ve rented costumes constantly from Brandeis University. I’ve made countless purchases from Massachusetts clothing shops and vintage stores. Smile Dry Cleaners, an organic dry cleaner based out of my hometown in Dracut, has profited from all of the work I’ve brought them. FILM equals JOBS, but it also equals money into the state I love and want to be able to remain in.