TV Tax Credits Announced

The California Film Commission selected nine television series to receive $37.6 million from the state’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program 2.0. Among the projects receiving the credits are “Scream Queens,” relocating to Los Angeles from New Orleans where the first season of the Fox Television series was filmed. Two existing series, three new series and three pilots are also receiving credits. The commission, based in Hollywood, received 21 applications for this fifth and final round of dispersing a total of $230 million to keep feature film and television productions in the state. Projects are chosen based on rankings of their below-the-line wages and qualified spending for vendors and equipment. Film Commission Executive Director Amy Lemisch said the tax credit program shows its value by having “Scream Queens” and four other existing television series relocate to California in less than a year. Among those series relocating to the state are “Mistresses,” produced by Walt Disney Co., in Burbank, and originally filmed in Vancouver; “American Horror Story,” which had filmed in Louisiana; and “Veep,” which had filmed in Maryland. “Every new TV series we attract or retain brings long-term, high-wage jobs that would otherwise go elsewhere,” Lemisch said in a prepared statement. This was the first fiscal year of the expanded tax credit program that was approved by the state legislators and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014, tripling the amount of credits available. The commission estimated the program was on track this fiscal year to generate $1.7 billion in direct in-state spending, including $659 million in below-the-line wages. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the program is delivering results for the “heart and soul” of the entertainment industry.