The Walt Disney Co. is among the first to file an application for funding under the new program, which took effect July 1.
Disney is seeking $2 million, and representatives of the Pennsylvania
and Pittsburgh Film Offices are in discussions with the company about a
future production here, according to Dawn Keezer, executive director of
the Pittsburgh Film Office, and Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary for
tourism at the state Department of Community & Economic
Development, which oversees the state's film office.
Rowley and Keezer would not reveal the name of the production and
emphasized that a deal has not yet been confirmed. Disney did not
immediately respond to requests for comment.
Regardless, Rowley is confident Pennsylvania's commitment to attracting film productions will pay dividends.
"You can make an argument that there's an arms race with other states out there," he said. "And we should be winning it."
The new cash lure, made available on a first-come, first-served basis
in amounts that are capped at $2 million, represents a considerable
increase over Pennsylvania's previous film incentive program.
Previously, Pennsylvania offered $10 million in tax credits, a program
that enabled film productions to write off 20 percent of their in-state
production costs on their taxes. Because the credits were for
Pennsylvania state taxes, productions from companies based outside the
state were forced to sell the credits to Pennsylvania-based companies,
which often bought them at discounted rates.
The grant program requires 60 percent of a production's costs to be
incurred within the state. Productions must be intended for a national
audience. The Pennsylvania Film Office will choose the recipients.
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