[WATCH] Perdue signs film production incentive bill into law
RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue signed the films incentive bill into law Thursday in an effort to bring more film productions to the state.
“This is important stuff,” Perdue said. “This is big business. This is a lot of workers. It’s a lot of money for the state of North Carolina, and it’s a good thing for our economy.”
And it’s meant also to be a good thing for filmmakers. The new law allows production companies a 25 percent tax credit for film projects in the state, which is up from the current 15 percent.
“We’ve set it up. You’ve got the incentive, we want jobs, jobs, jobs,” Keith Crisco, the N.C. commerce secretary, said.
Now, the pressure is on to get more cameras rolling in the state.
“That’s what we do every day, and now we’re going to raise our game to get even more shows and TV and commercials into the state,” Chris Cooney, the COO of EUE Screen Gems Studios, said.
The bill will help to ensure the state remains a strong competitor in film production dollars, which totaled more than $91 million in direct spending last year.
Right now, the film industry employs 2,500 people statewide.
“These are people who live in North Carolina. They’re here, they’re trained, they’re ready to go to work,” Sen. Linda Garrou said.
Wilmington is currently North Carolina’s hot spot for production, but Perdue wants the whole state to get a little bit of the spotlight.
“We’ve turned a page in North Carolina’s film history, and that’s really important because this is an industry we can continue to win big in,” Perdue said.
More than 800 movies have been filmed in North Carolina. The increased incentive takes effect in January.
