Latest in runaway production

UPDATE with DGA reaction: The only federal tax incentive designed specifically to keep film and TV production in the United States is dead. The program had been giving significant tax breaks to investors in shows shot in the U.S. for more than a decade, but it will end on the first day of 2017. For Hollywood, it's the…

Louisiana's scaled-back film tax incentives program put a huge dent in jobs for film crews there. Facing a severe budget crunch, the state last year slashed its annual budget for the incentives to $180 million – down from $222 million spent in 2014. That 19% reduction, however, triggered a 75% loss of jobs for union…

California's expanded film incentives program has been great at helping to stem the flow of runaway production but not so great for independent film and TV producers. Indeed, many indie producers are not happy with the new program at all. "Indie producers are frustrated," said Dama Claire, an incentives specialist at…

EXCLUSIVE: Supergirl’s next flight might be to the north. As the freshman CBS drama’s future continues to be uncertain, I hear studio Warner Bros TV is seriously considering moving production from Los Angeles to Vancouver next season. There have been exploratory conversations with the cast during the past couple of…

Vancouver is coming off its biggest year ever for film and TV production in 2015, and its provincial government today voted to lower the generous tax incentives that help draw projects to Hollywood North. Effective October 1, the subsidies available to the industry in British Columbia will shrink from 33% to 28%. The…

You could almost taste the optimism this morning at the 10th annual California Film Commission breakfast as local film commissioners from around the state chowed down on bacon and eggs with a side order of hope for better days to come. The reason for the cheery mood at the Sofitel Hotel, of course, is the state's new…

New Mexico Governor Susana has signed a second bill in seven days that boosts the state's film incentives program. The new legislation extends the state's existing 30% tax incentives for TV series to include stand-alone pilot episodes and makes it easier for feature film productions to shoot at outdoor movie ranches…

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed a bill today that will allow production companies to pre-assign their tax rebates to third parties. Unlike many states that require producers to sell their credits at a discount, New Mexico provides a direct cash rebate, and the ability to pre-assign the earned rebate is…

Two new bills to increase New Mexico's film tax incentives have sailed through the state Legislature. The measures now go to Governor Susana Martinez, who is expected to sign them into law. One of the bills, which the state Senate approved unanimously last week and passed the House by a vote of 51-2, extends the…

Nearly two weeks after he announced his Greenlight Hollywood campaign, Mayor Eric Garcetti today unveiled further measures to make L.A, the friendliest city in America for production. He said the city will “cut red tape and will cut costs and make every department assign a point person to work directly with the film…

UPDATE, 12:20 PM: As expected the LA City Council today overwhelmingly passed measures to make filming in the City of Angeles easier and cheaper for productions. In 15-0 vote, the local pols extended a waiver for filming on city property to June 30, 2019. The vote also seeks feedback on other ways the city can improve…

A few years ago, a veteran U.S. TV director was having trouble finding a gig. So much production was ending up in Canada that Americans were competing for fewer and fewer jobs. "Work started tapering off in the U.S.," the director said. "I went on two interviews [for work in Canada], and when they found out I wasn't…