Veep, American Horror Story Among TV Shows to Secure California Tax Credits

HOLLYWOOD: The California Film Commission has unveiled the list of 11 projects selected to receive tax credits under the first allocation of the state’s new Film and Television Tax Credit Program 2.0, which expands program funding from $100 million to $330 million annually.

The program’s first application period was open only to TV projects scheduled to begin production on or after July 1. A total of $55.2 million in credits was made available for new TV series, miniseries, movies of the week and pilots, along with $27.6 million for series relocating production to California from out-of-state. Of the projects approved, six are new TV series, one is a pilot and four are series that are relocating to California.

American Horror Story, Hindsight, Secrets and Lies and Veep are relocating to California and will receive the new tax credits. The other series receiving the California tax credits in this round are Code Black, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Heartbreakers, Rosewood, Utopia and Westworld, as well as the pilot Snowfall.

Based on data provided with each application, the 11 approved projects will generate an estimated $544 million in direct in-state spending, including $216 million in wages for below-the-line crew members.

"The newly expanded California Film Tax Credit is encouraging new TV production in the state and is bringing several projects from other states," said Mike Rossi, the senior advisor to California Governor Jerry Brown. "California remains the home of the stuff dreams are made of."

“We are thrilled with the results from the program’s first application period,” said Amy Lemisch, California Film Commission's executive director. “California crews and support businesses will begin to feel the impact immediately as these first 11 projects begin pre-production. The number of projects planning to relocate to California confirms that our expanded incentive program is already working.”