What Places Are Becoming The New Hollywood?

Los Angeles is one of the most expensive places to live in America, and California is one of the most expensive places to shoot. It's sad to say, but Hollywood movies are rarely ever made in Hollywood anymore. As the rest of the world becomes a haven for making films, people are leaving the city to go where the jobs are. Today, I wanted to take a look at a THR article about the locations that are taking over and give you the highlights. Let's dive in. KentuckyThe Kentucky Office of Film and Development was created to encourage the film and entertainment industry to choose locations in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for filming motion picture or entertainment productions.Right now, the city of Louisville is spending $75 million to build a film studio there. Add that to Kentucky's film tax credit, which offers a refundable 30-35% with a $10 million per-project cap, and business is about to be booming there. North CarolinaNorth Carolina has been developing its film infrastructure by expanding studio spaces and support services. This infrastructure helps to facilitate smooth and efficient production processes.Hoping to leverage North Carolina's 25 percent tax rebate, people are flocking to the state to shoot in one of the many historic cities or along the beach. Mr. Beast is building a studio there, as are many other filmmakers. The state has diverse locations that cover film and TV, and crews have been working there for a while, so you; 're not at a shortage of talent. TexasWe've heard about the mass exodus of comics and filmmakers to the Austin area, but all of Texas is thriving. You have all the Taylor Sheridan shows shooting there on his ranch, and the state launched a campaign to bring even more business to the state. Texas legislators will pass the Film Tax Incentive Bill SB 22 which proposes creating a $500 million fund every two years for the next 10 years, known as the "Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund."The U.K.The United Kingdom has long been a place where production happens. but now, it's cheaper to fly everyone over there to shoot than it is to just shoot in Los Angeles. The U.K. government introduced a 40 percent corporate tax rate relief for film and TV studio facilities until 2034 and a new indie film incentive of 40 percent.That's going to bring so much work there, and the country was already packed with places to film. London’s largest film and TV studio campus, Eastbrook Studios, has 12 soundstages that are constantly in use. CanadaIn the last couple of years, every single project I have worked on has been shot somewhere in Canada. It's close to the US, so it's easy to pay for the cast to fly there and to put them up. And the tax incentives are wonderful. The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) provides eligible productions with a fully refundable tax credit, available at a rate of 25 percent of the qualified labor expenditure.Toronto will soon be home to the Basin Media Hub, a $250 million film studio on an 8.9-acre waterfront site.Canada boasts a highly skilled and experienced workforce, including actors, directors, crew members, and technical professionals who have been involved in productions for years. Summing It All Up I want production to stay in LA; I live here, and it's easier for me. But the truth is, that just cannot happen with the current tax incentives. People are always going to try to stretch their buck because budgets are basically filmmakers dealing with never having enough money. These are just some of the places people are moving to in order to find work. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Mar 21, 2025 - 21:37

What Places Are Becoming The New Hollywood?

Los Angeles is one of the most expensive places to live in America, and California is one of the most expensive places to shoot. It's sad to say, but Hollywood movies are rarely ever made in Hollywood anymore.

As the rest of the world becomes a haven for making films, people are leaving the city to go where the jobs are.

Today, I wanted to take a look at a THR article about the locations that are taking over and give you the highlights.

Let's dive in.

Kentucky

The Kentucky Office of Film and Development was created to encourage the film and entertainment industry to choose locations in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for filming motion picture or entertainment productions.

Right now, the city of Louisville is spending $75 million to build a film studio there. Add that to Kentucky's film tax credit, which offers a refundable 30-35% with a $10 million per-project cap, and business is about to be booming there.

North Carolina

North Carolina has been developing its film infrastructure by expanding studio spaces and support services. This infrastructure helps to facilitate smooth and efficient production processes.

Hoping to leverage North Carolina's 25 percent tax rebate, people are flocking to the state to shoot in one of the many historic cities or along the beach.

Mr. Beast is building a studio there, as are many other filmmakers. The state has diverse locations that cover film and TV, and crews have been working there for a while, so you; 're not at a shortage of talent.

Texas

We've heard about the mass exodus of comics and filmmakers to the Austin area, but all of Texas is thriving. You have all the Taylor Sheridan shows shooting there on his ranch, and the state launched a campaign to bring even more business to the state.

Texas legislators will pass the Film Tax Incentive Bill SB 22 which proposes creating a $500 million fund every two years for the next 10 years, known as the "Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund."

The U.K.

The United Kingdom has long been a place where production happens. but now, it's cheaper to fly everyone over there to shoot than it is to just shoot in Los Angeles.

The U.K. government introduced a 40 percent corporate tax rate relief for film and TV studio facilities until 2034 and a new indie film incentive of 40 percent.

That's going to bring so much work there, and the country was already packed with places to film. London’s largest film and TV studio campus, Eastbrook Studios, has 12 soundstages that are constantly in use.

Canada

In the last couple of years, every single project I have worked on has been shot somewhere in Canada. It's close to the US, so it's easy to pay for the cast to fly there and to put them up.

And the tax incentives are wonderful. The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) provides eligible productions with a fully refundable tax credit, available at a rate of 25 percent of the qualified labor expenditure.

Toronto will soon be home to the Basin Media Hub, a $250 million film studio on an 8.9-acre waterfront site.

Canada boasts a highly skilled and experienced workforce, including actors, directors, crew members, and technical professionals who have been involved in productions for years.