Detroit 187 Actor Is Proof Michigan Film Incentives Work

SOUTHFIELD (WXYZ) - Sean Robertson is walking proof that Michigan’s film incentives work. In March of 2009 he was laid off after eight and a half years as a computer specialist at Chrysler.

“It was a shocker,” He says, “But I figured, hey I can’t give up. I need to transition into something else and the film industry was right there.”

Sean has been in 25 films in the last year and half; but always as an extra, the guy in the background. Until October 26, 2010 when he got his first speaking role on Detroit 187. He moved up from “extra” to “principle” which comes with a bigger paycheck.

“It’s given new life to our state,” Sean says of the film incentives that attracted the ABC production to the Motor City, “and given new hope to people like me that have been laid off, or people that are jobless, or people that are jobless, or people that are trying to struggle to pay mortgages, or take care of their families.”

And for one guy trying to take care of his family after a career disaster, the movie industry has been a savior.

“That’s a real living and it pays real bills and feeds your real family. And so for anyone that wants to touch the film industry or change the incentives or anything like that I say, just hey leave it alone. Let it be, let us work, we just want to work.”