736: 'I've also seen a lot of people leave the state thinking that there are no opportunities here' (Audio)

When you think about the film industry in North Dakota, it would be understandable if what comes to mind are people making movies. That's what films are, basically, right? But Matt Fern, executive director of Film North Dakota, said on this episode of Plain Talk that it's a lot more than that. There are so many platforms, and so many different types of content, like podcasts, and TikTok videos, and YouTube documentaries. Fern himself is actually the producer of Plain Talk. There is a large amount of interest in this field of work. "There's a new study from the University of Wisconsin that over 60% of middle and high school students want to be content creators," he told us. But the problem is that those sort of jobs are thin on the ground in North Dakota. "I've been part of the industry for 15 years and I've seen all the talent that we have here, but I've also seen a lot of people leave the state thinking that there are no opportunities here to pursue that career," he said. "We have a really experienced multi-talented workforce here in North Dakota," he continued. "69% have over 5 years of industry experience, but 54% had to leave North Dakota for film and media work. Not saying that they had to move, but to find opportunities for this profession, more than half have to leave the state. And I think that's really concerning." What can the state do about it? "I think so many times people have looked at" helping the film industry "as an act of tourism and marketing for the state," he said. "I think that's a small aspect of it. I think the big thing is workforce development and industry development, economic development. If we look just to our neighbors, and not saying we need to copy Montana or Minnesota, but both of them, even Canada, have very lucrative options for film and media professionals and here in North Dakota we are not competing at all." Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the Lake Ontario/Lake America controversy, U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer's quiet campaign (so far), and listener feedback. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive