Orange County is putting $25 million toward a new incentive program to attract film, television, and commercial productions to Central Florida. The county opened the application portal on April 27 for the distribution of the money to attract production. Jen Pennypacker is an entertainment industry veteran and the Administrator of Orange County’s Film Incentive Program. She joins Engage to talk about the value of public investments in these productions, and why this program is being put into play now.
Florida used to offer tax incentives for film, television, and commercial productions until they were rolled back in 2016. Other states like Georgia, Louisiana, New Mexico, and North Carolina have seen growth in film and television production, driven in part by aggressive incentive programs. State leaders in those areas have promoted the programs as job creators and tourism drivers.
By the 2010’s, policy analysts started questioning the value of these incentives to the communities offering them. Some studies found that the return on investment was minimal, and many reported the jobs created were temporary.
John Lux is the Executive Director of Film Florida, a 501c3 that works to promote film production in the state. He joins Engage to discuss incentives and how the state’s termination of them in 2016 impacted the industry.
