In late December Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed SB569 into law giving the Michigan Film Office authority to award incentives to eligible productions. Under the revised program productions shooting at qualified facilities such as Raleigh Michigan Studios will be eligible for a 30 percent incentive for direct production expenditures. Michigan residents above and below the line will be eligible for 35 percent. Non-Michigan residents are eligible for 27 percent above the line and 25 percent below the line. Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville who sponsored the bill says “With the passage of this five-year program we will now be able to focus on creating sustainable jobs for Michiganders and supporting and developing the infrastructure to support this exciting industry in Michigan.” Anthony Wenson director of operations at Raleigh Michigan Studios says “Working with Disney this past year on the largest movie the state has ever seen shows Raleigh Michigan Studios really can service a major motion picture. Now that we have predictability on the future of the incentive we can show future productions the same service and professionalism that we showed the Disney team.” Wenson and his team recently wrapped their first production at the brand new state-of-the-art facility in Pontiac. Philip Steuer executive producer of the film Oz: The Great and Powerful says “Raleigh Michigan Studios is a world class facility. It provides all the necessary tools under one roof to make a great movie making it an ideal venue for all sized productions.” “With this legislation now in place we can now move forward with our efforts to promote and grow the film industry here in Michigan ” says Carrie Jones director of the Michigan Film Office. “We are looking forward to bringing in some great projects this year while focusing on the talent and infrastructure Michigan has to offer.” The Film Office will be required to process applications within 21 days after their completion and has discretion to approve projects based on their economic impact in Michigan. New applications are available now on the Michigan Film Office website. Michigan Film Office www.michiganfilmoffice.org Raleigh Studios www.raleighstudios.com
