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DENVER – Today, Governor John Hickenlooper signed the bipartisan Film Production Activities in Colorado Act at High Noon Entertainment, one of the country’s largest television entertainment companies. House Bill 1286, sponsored by Senator Linda Newell (D-Littleton) and Senator Jean White (R-Hayden), supports Colorado’s film industry and helps create jobs across the state.
The Film Production Activities in Colorado Act is the first of its kind in the country. The bill creates a loan guarantee program for production activities and will also make Colorado more attractive for movie production by increasing the existing film incentive from a 10 percent rebate for production costs to 20 percent, allowing Colorado to meet or exceed similar programs in other states. This rebate will apply to production costs for films, television series, commercials, documentaries, music videos, and video game creation.
Senator Newell offered the following comment on the signing of the Film Production Activities in Colorado Act today:
"They said this couldn't be done, but here we are. This legislation brought us together as Republicans and Democrats, urban, suburban, and rural to show our solidarity and belief in our dream to recognize and recapture film jobs in Colorado."
(from right to left) High Noon Entertainment CEO Jim Berger, Senator Linda Newell, COO Duke Hartman, and Senior V.P. of Finance John Hardy
The combination of diverse and scenic landscapes, the availability of experienced film crews, and an existing infrastructure make Colorado a desirable state for film production. More than 400 films have been filmed in the state, including feature films like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Catch and Release, True Grit and City Slickers. However, incentive programs in other states have lured movie production to other regions in recent years.
The Film Production Activities in Colorado Act works to reverse this trend. The legislation has wide support from film and creative industries all over the state, including the CINEMA (Colorado Innovators of New Entertainment, Media, and Arts) Colorado Coalition. The creative industry is the fifth largest employment sector in the state, and one of the fastest growing in the country.
Donald Zuckerman, Director of the Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media offered the following comment on the importance of the HB 1286:
“This bill is so important for Colorado’s content creation industry. Content creation is one of America’s fastest growing industries and one of its greatest exports.”
Under the Film Production Activities in Colorado Act, an in-state production company’s local expenditures must be at least $100,000 and an out-of-state company must spend at least $1 million to qualify for the performance-based incentive program. In addition, 50 percent of the jobs must be filled by Colorado residents, an increase over the existing 25 percent requirement.
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