Tax Incentives and Diversity Initiatives Spark Illinois Film and TV Production
variety.comZoe Hewitt When it comes to any entertainment industry production, whether it’s a tentpole film or an independent commercial, creative choices must vie against the ever-important bottom line.
Working in a state with tax incentive programs means productions can have the best of both worlds. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker just signed a 10-year extension for the state’s film-friendly tax incentive program, which guarantees productions 30% back on eligible expenses through Jan.
1, 2033. The credit was recently expanded to include eligibility for nine key positions for non-residents: director, writer, DP, production designer, costume designer, production accountant, visual-effects supervisor, editor and composer.
Peter Hawley, deputy director of the Illinois Film Office, says applying for and receiving the incentives is an easy process with “plenty to go around” since there’s no cap on the state’s limits and how many productions may be approved. “We’re really set up to have production come in here and go to work right away,” says Hawley, whose background as a former film professor and filmmaker give him a unique understanding of what productions need most.
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