Oklahoma’s Film Incentives Fuel $161.3M Growth
Oklahoma’s film spending grew $161.3M yearly after raising its rebate budget, boosting industry jobs and wages to $80,000 per job.
Spending on film and TV production in Oklahoma has grown $161.3 million annually since the state raised its annual cash rebate budget from $8 million to $30 million in 2021.
That moved Oklahoma’s incentive program from 26th to 18th largest in the U.S., according to a new study by RegionTrack Inc., an Oklahoma City-based economic research firm.
Mark Snead, RegionTrack president, and Joseph Chianese, senior vice president and production incentives practice leader at Entertainment Partners in Los Angeles, spoke about Oklahoma’s place in the industry marketplace during a forum hosted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.
“Oklahoma has a very competitive program,” Chianese said, “and the fact that you have all these local incentives you can stack on top of it can only help.”
He said the state must keep the incentives going and continue to build the industry’s in-state infrastructure and labor base.
“Right now, there are 41 states with incentives but over 160 countries with incentives … The reality is producers have choices,” Chianese said.
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