TV and film veteran faces uncertain future after opportunities dry up in Maryland

Uncertainty always played a part in Beth Bell’s career. Afterall, she was used to being a trendsetter.

She was part of the second graduating class from the now-famous Baltimore School for the Arts. When her classmates studied acting, she pursued the less glamorous world of set production.

When her peers zigged, she zagged. It paid off.

She eventually started Green Product Placement, a product placement company that found geographically correct, socially conscious items for television shows and films. The company, which grew out of her set dressing and decorating department work, aimed to cut down on carbon emissions and use vegan products. When it was launched in 2012, it was one of the first in the film industry.

Bell, 60, also found success working in her beloved Baltimore, securing set decoration gigs in productions such as “House of Cards,” “Veep,” “Lioness,” and “Lady in the Lake.”

But none of that mattered when a series of events — everything from a lack of filming incentives to the COVID-19 pandemic — resulted in opportunities drying up in Maryland.

A New York Times article in March stopped Bell in her tracks. It was about the fate of Gen Xers in creative industries. The outcome was bleak.

“It was a little bit of an eye-opening article,” she said.

To compound worries, Bell’s husband lost his job with the federal government in October after six years — a casualty of Elon Musk’s DOGE restructuring.

Now the Landsdowne resident, who has sought work as a carpentry/shop teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools, is faced with uncertainty as she stares down the better part of a decade before she plans to retire. We asked Bell about the upheaval and what comes next.

What are your retirement plans?

If they don’t steal my Social Security, I’m seven to eight years from retirement. I have some people a little bit older than me that I worked with on “Lioness” and “House of Cards.” They’re like 70, and they’re able to retire. They made it through. And of course they’re all boomers, right? I’m not. I’m Gen X.

When did you decide to shut down your business for good?

Well, I’m not legally completely shut down. I took this teaching job, and it’s 12 hours a day. I just haven’t had time. I started realizing that the writing was on the wall, probably towards the end of 2023 or something. I just was like ‘It’s just not coming back. It’s not coming back.’

What is next?

I’m not really sure, to be honest with you. An opportunity to teach carpentry shop at this school a mile from my house arose, and I thought, well, I’ll give it a try. I’m about three months in now, and I think I’m pretty much going to be one and done. I don’t think it’s something that I want to do for eight years. Next year, I’ll have to just figure out the next thing.

What have your industry peers in Maryland done during this time?

A few have taken retail jobs. Some are just doing freelance jobs. My former business partner is doing some small decorating jobs. For the most part, we fall back on our existing skills and do some stuff, where we can get hired based on them. But it’s not always as frequent and doesn’t pay as much. A lot of times, we don’t necessarily find it as fulfilling. I’m not certain anyone has been able to completely pivot to something that’s better. ... We miss each other. We miss the camaraderie. At least in my department. We’re almost like a family, you know? It’s just been extremely difficult.

What can Maryland do better to support this industry?

We need to look at how we’re marketing our state. We need to look at how our incentives compare to states that have similar filmmaking. We’re never going to be in L.A. or New York. Like, that’s never going to happen. But we could be another Atlanta, or we could be another New Orleans.

Can this industry truly survive in Maryland?

I mean, I think with the right amount of state government muscle and give-a-shit behind it, it could certainly. There’s a lot of extremely talented crew here. ... We’re so great for locations. We can fill in for D.C., right? We’re like America in miniature.

What has been your favorite project to work on in Maryland?

There have been so many! “Pecker.” Remember that? It was by John Waters build-out. It was a teeny, tiny production all based in Hampden. It was a lot of fun. And I’m gonna say, even with all the Kevin Spacey mess, “House of Cards” was an amazing production to work on. For all those years, we had a wonderful facility that was up in Harford County, where there was a build-out. Despite all the Kevin Spacey mess, everything else about it was a really, really good experience.

Who’s your favorite actor to work with from a Maryland production?

Well, everybody loves Michael Kelly. And he’s been here a couple of times. He remembered everybody in the crew’s name.

Has there been a least favorite [actor]?

Least favorite? I really don’t want to say. I mean, I think some of them could be obvious because it shut the entire production down. And a bunch of people almost didn’t have a job through their bad behavior.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.