Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development has received its landmark 300th application for the state’s post-production tax credit, marking a new milestone since the Governor championed a law strengthening the credit in July 2012. The record number of applications in the past four years is evidence of how this innovative industry has soared under the enhanced credit, creating jobs and driving investment in new technologies.

“Our efforts to attract world-class film companies and unparalleled talent to New York have been a tremendous success, creating thousands of jobs and new opportunities for communities statewide,” Governor Cuomo said. “By incentivizing film companies to move to the Empire State, we are transforming New York into a global hub for post-production and successfully positioning ourselves to generate billions of dollars in economic activity for decades to come.” 

The 300 project applicants, most of which filmed elsewhere but opted to do their post-production work in the Empire State, are projected to spend over $340 million in-state and make more than 3,600 hires statewide. By comparison, just 18 productions applied for the post-production credit in the 18 months before the program was revamped in 2012, resulting in just $38 million in New York spending and 224 hires.

Signed by Governor Cuomo in July 2012, the new law boosted the available post-production credit from 10 percent to 30 percent in the New York metropolitan commuter region, including New York City and Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties. For post-production work in Upstate New York, a 35 percent tax credit is available to eligible productions.

“Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s leadership, our production and post-production incentive programs are stronger than ever,” said Empire State Development President and CEO Howard Zemsky. “The 300 applications that have come in since the post-production credit was expanded in 2012 will continue to result in more investment in New York State and more jobs for New Yorkers.”

Recently, several high-profile projects have applied for the post-production credit, including Zoolander 2, both seasons of Netflix’s Marco Polo, Into the Woods, and the upcoming Inferno and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

The new law has also spurred growth for post-production companies in New York, with five new post-production companies opening Upstate and 22 opening in New York City since July 2012, according to the Post New York Alliance, an industry group. Seventeen existing New York post-production companies have also undergone major expansions over the past four years.

Chair of the Post New York Alliance and President and COO, Trevanna Post, Yana Collins Lehman said, “Governor Cuomo committed to creating and nurturing greater opportunities for post-production companies and professionals throughout New York State in 2012 when he enhanced the post-tax incentive. The members of the Post New York Alliance are grateful to Governor Cuomo for his vision and belief in our industry because these 300 applications have brought with them thousands of jobs. Our businesses have expanded, and New York is now the preeminent destination for film and television post-production.”

Eastern Executive Director, Motion Picture Editors Guild, IA Local 700, Paul Moore said, “Since Governor Cuomo strengthened the program, our members have seen hundreds of jobs created by the industry’s expansion, which has made New York a global hub for post-production.” 

President of Harbor Pictures, Zak Tucker said, “In the four years since Governor Cuomo enhanced the post-production credit we have seen a significant increase in the amount of post-production work coming to New York State and, as a result, we’ve expanded each year, quadrupling our staff and our footprint.”

The thriving post-production tax incentive joins the state’s film production tax credit, which has received 961 applications, resulting in a projected New York spend of $13 billion and more than 830,000 hires since Governor Cuomo took office. Productions that apply for the film production credit can claim qualified post-production expenses under this program, meaning this industry’s economic impact resounds far beyond the 300 applicants to the post-production credit.

Post-production includes all of the editing after filming is complete and includes visual effects, color correction, sound editing and mixing. The industry also includes thousands of other jobs, from engineers and messengers to creative and support staff. The strengthened law was designed to expand state support by specifically focusing on attracting post-production work to communities in all corners of the state. At a time when other states have seen their film tax credits weaken or disappear, New York’s strengthened credit supports a robust industry cluster which has become a major source of direct and indirect employment and economic opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people.

About the New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture & Television Development

The New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture & Television Development, a division of Empire State Development, offers film, television and commercial productions and post production tax credits for qualified expenditures in New York State. The office also serves as a liaison between production companies and city and local governments, state agencies, a network of statewide contacts, local film offices and professional location scouts and managers. For more information on filming in New York State and the New York State Film Tax Credit Program, visit www.nylovesfilm.com.

Gary A. Olson, President, Daemen College, Columnist at Huffington Post 

As the 86th Academy Awards celebrated excellence in the film industry a few weeks ago, hundreds of visual effects professionals converged on Hollywood to protest the increasing practice of outsourcing work to other countries in order to take advantage of tax incentives in those countries. Hundreds of artists and animators were joined Sunday by film and production staff at the peaceful protest, which was organized by the Association of Digital Artists, Professionals and Technicians.

These foreign tax subsidies are causing jobs to be lost in this highly skilled, artistic field. Recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the college I am president of -- Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y. -- have taken bold measures to rectify this problem. First, Cuomo signed legislation that authorizes substantial tax incentives for this industry. Specifically, qualifying film productions are eligible for a 30 percent tax credit on post-production expenses across New York State, and an additional 5 percent credit for areas outside the metropolitan New York City area.

Additionally, starting in 2015 there will also be a 10 percent rebate on qualified labor expenses in both production and postproduction. These tax credit programs are designed to increase the film production and post-production industry presence in the state and to have an overall positive impact on the state's economy.

The Cuomo administration also invested $4.5 million in a cutting-edge partnership between Daemen College and a visual-effects start-up company, Empire Visual Effects, to train a whole new workforce of visual effects specialists. Together, these measures are intended to make it just as cost effective for filmmakers to produce their films here in Buffalo as it is to outsource work to India or New Zealand.

Here's how it works. The college has signed formal agreements with several community colleges in the region agreeing to enroll those of their students who graduate with a two-year digital media degree into our certificate program in visual effects. Once enrolled, these students have the unique opportunity to work side-by-side with professionals in our partner company on actual projects for the film and advertising industries. A Daemen student intern, for example, just helped resurrect Charlie the Tuna for StarKist.

After completing their program at Daemen, these students are then eligible to be hired full time by Empire Visual Effects or the other companies we hope will relocate to Buffalo in order to take advantage of this favorable business climate. In fact, it is projected that 150 new full-time jobs will be created in the next five years, and many more after that. The protesters in Hollywood are justly concerned about the negative impact outsourcing is having on their livelihood. However, aggressive tax incentive states, like New York, have taken steps that offer the entertainment industry production alternatives outside Hollywood but keep the work in the United States.

Daemen's distinctive program is one that stands out as a prime example of efforts to combat the issue of outsourcing visual effects work overseas. Outsourcing to other countries is an unresolved issue in the film industry, but Daemen College and New York State are actively working on reversing this trend.

This post was originally published by Gary A. Olson in the Huffington Post on 3/24/14. 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today congratulated the 16 New York-based productions that received accolades as Emmy award winners, and who participate in the New York State Film Production Tax Credit program. Dozens of New York productions won awards at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, including four winning productions in the New York State Film Production Tax Credit program who cited the program as a leading factor in the decision to film and produce in New York. In addition, 12 winners in the NYS Film Production Credit Program were presented with the 2013 Creative Arts Emmy Awards last week.

“I want to congratulate all of the New Yorkers who won Emmys this year,” Governor Cuomo said. "Thanks to our newly expanded New York State Film Production Tax Credit Program we’ve created thousands of new jobs and generated billions of dollars in economic activity through the thriving film and television industries. The awards were a well-deserved tribute to the thousands of people who make up New York's great entertainment industry, especially the crew members who make our state the place to film. New York’s entertainment industry is experiencing the most active and productive period in the State’s history, and I look forward to welcoming more productions in the coming year to our great State.”

"Production of motion pictures, television, and internet content has never been higher in our 89 year history, said John Ford, President Local 52 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The officers and members of Studio Mechanics Local 52 IATSE thank Governor Cuomo and the NYS Legislature for extending legislation that has created thousands of additional jobs that provide decent wages as well as medical and retirement benefits."

"New York has truly entered a Golden Age of television production and our union will eclipse all employment records by the year's end, said Tommy J. ODonnell, President, Theatrical Teamsters Local 817. Credit goes to Governor Cuomo in supporting the extension of the New York Film Tax Credit and his commitment to growing jobs that will energize the middle class in the Empire State."

"Governor Cuomo has done more to bring television production to New York than anyone in the history of the industry, said Douglas C. Steiner, Chairman of Steiner Studios. His long-term vision and support has created tens of thousands of jobs in the new frontiers of media and has made New York the worlds first choice for quality film and television production."

The Post New York Alliance is thrilled to see the post production industry represented in the Creative Emmy winners and nominees, said Yana Collins Lehman, Managing Partner, Trevanna Post. Since Governor Cuomo tripled the post incentive last year, New York has seen a massive influx of great projects finishing here. We've never been busier, and couldn't be more proud of our colleagues being recognized for their outstanding work.

The recently expanded New York State Film Production Tax Credit program includes new incentives to attract television shows produced in other states to New York to create jobs, spur tourism and generate new spending. The program supports a robust industry cluster that has become a major source of direct and indirect employment and economic opportunity across the State. In addition, the recently expanded and enhanced program provides new incentives that lower restrictions on post-production, which makes it easier for productions to do this work in New York State. A new provision aims to attract out-of-state talk and variety programs to the Empire State if they have filmed at least five seasons in another state. There are also new incentives to boost production in upstate New York.

To read the complete press release including a list of the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award winners who participated in the New York Film Production Tax Credit Program, click here.