Written by new-contact on May 11, 2015. Posted in Incentive News

Los Angeles calls on TV companies to apply for boosted filming incentive

The Mayor of Los Angeles has called on TV companies to apply for California’s boosted filming incentive programme. Producers have until next Sunday (17 May) to apply for the new financial support for this year, which is designed to tackle California’s long-term runaway production problem.

California’s filming incentive tax credit programme has been boosted with an annual film fund of USD 330 million – more than triple its previous value.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been one of the only big-budget studio features to shoot largely in California in recent years. Marvel has relocated to Atlanta for the follow-up.

More than USD 50 million has been allocated to support TV production, while nearly USD 30 million has been specifically assigned to television shows relocating to California from outside the state.

“Here in LA, the entertainment industry is more than glitz and glamour; it’s a bedrock of our middleclass and so I urge production companies to take advantage of the expanded tax credit we fought so hard to pass,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“Now that the increased film tax credit is in place, we are focusing on getting producers to utilise it and on cutting red tape to make sure LA is as film-friendly as possible.”

California’s boosted filming incentive is set to replace the controversial lottery allocation system that’s been in place for the past few years.

In February Mayor Garcetti launched his ‘Greenlight Hollywood’ campaign to promote California’s boosted incentive to film and TV industry executives. The state has lost the Star Wars franchise to the UK and wants to avoid cases like Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming disaster movie San Andreas, which is set in California but filmed largely in Australia.

Now that the increased film tax credit is in place, we are focusing on getting producers to utilise it.

Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles

Depite a boosted film fund, California nonetheless faces a challenge competing with its rivals, both in the US and internationally, and particularly for the feature film market. States like Louisiana, Georgia and New York still offer more money in their film funds, and Marvel has made a production commitment to Atlanta for the next few years.

In California’s boosted filming incentive programme TV in fact appears to be prioritised, with a full 60% of the annual fund specifically set aside for new and relocating television shoots.