In today’s decentralized media world, you often pay for the media you consume — whether buying or renting movies or managing multiple subscriptions to Netflix, Disney+, and countless other streaming services.
But newsflash: you also pay for media you don’t watch. Chances are, you help finance content you don’t even like and might actually hate.
Around the world, taxpayers are roped into funneling billions of dollars to the entertainment industry, in the form of tax credits, subsidies, grants, and cash awards. (In 2019, these benefits exceeded $2.5 billion!) Countless states and countries compete in this race to the bottom, trying to incentivize production crews to film their projects in their state — all in the name of “job creation” and “economic development.”
(Oh, and this is a super conservative number, which also doesn’t include all the CIA and Pentagon involvement in the industry.)
Traditionally, this trough of taxpayer-funded incentives was reserved for feature films but now has expanded “to other areas of screen content, including high-end television drama, animation, documentaries, post-production, visual effects, and video games.” In other words, now that entertainment is more decentralized, there are more hands reaching into the cookie jar.
Next week, the Tuttle Twins TV show launches — after an incredibly successful crowd-investment campaign that saw the program become the world’s top funded kids media project, backed by thousands of investors. This high-quality kids cartoon, which will — like our wildly popular books — teach the ideas of freedom to the rising generation, was directly funded by those who wanted to will it into existence.
Put differently… no taxpayers were harmed in the making of this show.
It’s tempting for production crews to chase the incentives that are eagerly danged in front of them. After all, what business owner with a fiduciary responsibility to boost their company’s bottom line wouldn’t want to take advantage?
Well, not the Tuttle Twins team. We’re on a mission to spread the ideas of freedom — and that sort of requires, at a minimum, that we act in a manner consistent with the values we’re teaching. Ya know… that whole “practice what you preach” thing.
In fact, the first episode (join the livestream launch Tuesday night!) touches on this topic — the proper role of government, the misuse of taxes, and the evils of forced redistribution of wealth.
It’s a good one. Your kids will laugh. You’ll laugh. And your bank account will remain unharmed — in two ways. First, we’re not taking your taxes. (Ew, gross.) Second, it’s free! Thanks to the show’s investors, the content will be accessible to anyone. No subscription, no signup, no nothing.
Curious how to watch for free? Join us for Tuesday’s livestream and you’ll learn how.
