Tarheel State Continues to Prosper

    “On September 10, Aaron Syrett, the Director of the North Carolina Film Office, will go to our nation's capitol, to take part in the annual North Carolina Business & Economic Development Summit.  The conference, which lasts two days, will be hosted by several of our states Congressional Representatives.  This will allow many of North Carolina’s entrepreneurs to get a chance to network and meet with federal government officials, and talk about policies, which may influence their circumstances and neighborhoods”.

    “Mr. Syrett will speak about the history and recent boost in North Carolina’s economy due to the success of the film industry.  The state’s economy has increased tremendously".  “The increase in the amount of productions is due to a ‘direct result of bi-partisan legislation that was passed in 2010, and signed into law by Governor Bev Perdue, “that increased the refundable tax credit offered to film productions that have a minimum spend of $250,000 to 25 percent”. “This incentive is also the reason why North Carolina has earned a spot on the list of the world’s top ten filming locations, according to P3 Update.com”.  The Tar Heel State has seen over 100 production companies film in the state, in the past two years.  They have spent over $622 million, and have provided as many as 50,000 job opportunities.  Thanks to this booming film industry there are “8,500 well-paying crew positions for the state’s highly skilled film professionals”. 

     “It is also the reason why companies like Showtime, can announce that their show, Homeland, produced by Fox 21, has been renewed for a fourth season.  The series has been shot in Charlotte since the series first began.  Homeland has offered as many as 6,000 employment opportunities since the beginning of the production, along with 150 above-average crew positions for trained professionals. Subsequently, the production company has spent over $90 million in the Charlotte area.  This production company came to North Carolina for several reasons, but it was the incentive which really drew them here”.