Film & TV Tax Incentives in the U.s. ― Courting Hollywood

Entertainment tax incentives are one of the greatest tools in the arsenal of filmmaking. They pay a portion of production expenditures back to the filmmaker, while creating powerful economic engines for the states who implement them properly. They are high in the list of considerations for executives to sign off before a movie receives a go ahead for production, even to the point of dictating the location of where a production is filmed. Yet, they are misunderstood by the filmmakers who use them, the politicians who create them, the economists who measure them, and even the scholars who study them. This book puts all the pieces together in a comprehensive look at how the entertainment industry works, how it uses incentives, and how incentives can benefit a filmmaker – or a state.

Glenda Cantrell is Associate Professor at the University of Alabama where she teaches classes in film production management and motion picture marketing. Her research has been published nationally; her areas of expertise include media marketing & promotion, and entertainment tax incentives. She is also past President of the Board of Directors for the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) and the former Chair of the Department of Telecommunication & Film at the University of Alabama.

Daniel Wheatcroft is a 35-year veteran of the entertainment industry whose career spans the Production, Marketing and Distribution of some of Hollywood’s biggest success stories. As an executive at Universal Pictures, he successfully orchestrated strategic planning, marketing campaigns and talent development for over 200 major motion pictures, including Jurassic Park, Schindler's List and Apollo 13. He has taught at The University of Alabama, at Birmingham-Southern College, and has lectured at University of Southern California.