Incentives

On April 23, 2009, Gov. Rick Perry signed House Bill 873, which promotes the entertainment industry in Texas by providing new, expanded incentives for the film, television, video and digital interactive media production industries.

The governor was joined by lawmakers, members of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance and representatives of the film, television, commercial and video game industries from across the state at Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Austin for the signing. (At right, Bob Hudgins, Director of the Texas Film Commission)

The minimum Qualifications for the new Texas Production Incentives are as follows:

$250,000 spending in Texas
60% of shooting days completed in Texas
70% of paid crew must be Texas residents
70% of paid cast (including extras) must be Texas residents

The Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program offers qualifying feature films, television programs, commercials, video games, and stand-alone post-production/finishing projects the opportunity to receive a payment of 5-15% of eligible Texas spending upon completion of a review of their Texas expenditures. Both live-action and animated projects are eligible. This incentive program is in addition to Texas's Sales Tax Exemptions.

As an added bonus, projects made in underserved areas of Texas are eligible to receive an increased incentive of 2.5%. The entire area served by the Northeast Texas Regional Film Commission meets the "underserved" criteria. Contact the Northeast Texas Regional Film Commission for programs that may be available at the local level.

One of Texas' strongest assets is its depth of crew for film and television projects. Very few other states can match it: on most features shot in Texas, nearly 80% of the jobs are filled locally. That saves on housing, transportation and per diem, and these are not trainees, but experienced professionals who get it right the first time. Please, go to the Resources section for more information about experienced professionals in our area.