It’s no secret that making a movie is VERY expensive, especially when that movie has a lot of big names, special effects, and supersized action scenes. Think about everything that goes into movies like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), and any Marvel movie.
So much time and effort goes into every single part of the film, from development and writing to the filming, the special effects, the reshoots, and more.
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Studios are always looking for ways to save money on their movies and television shows while making them look as incredible as possible. That is why many states offer incentives to studios if they choose to film there. Studios will get things like tax credits, rebates, grants, and more. In turn, the state will get millions in revenue, jobs will be created, infrastructure will be improved, and tourists will (hopefully) be drawn to the area.
Certain states are known for their great tax incentives, which is why many movies are filmed there — states like California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Then, there are places like Toronto, London, and Australia, where incentives are also great, and more movies are being filmed there.
But one governor is hoping to put all those states and countries to shame — and she is asking Disney CEO Bob Iger to help her.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently attended Paley Fest, a festival celebrating some of the biggest names in television and the shows they star in. While at the festival, Hochul said she spoke to Mr. Iger and told him she wanted more movies and television shows to come to the Empire State.
“I was just sitting down with [Disney CEO] Bob Iger yesterday, talking about how I want more production in New York state,” Hochul said during an appearance at the Paley Center for Media in New York. “London shouldn’t exist. Forget about Georgia. He listened. I’m a little aggressive, as you can tell.”
“I want to make sure we don’t lose business to New Jersey or Georgia or Toronto or London. The talent wants to be in New York, by the way. All the talent wants to be here. They started here, they have friends here, they have family here. But they will go where the show goes. So we have to continue to make it worth their while to do this.”
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The Walt Disney Company is not the only studio Ms. Hochul hopes will decide to film more in her state. She said that she has traveled to Hollywood and “sat in rooms with all major producers.” New York has always been a place artists flock to and consider a cool place to be.
The governor said that if more people see films and television productions coming to the area, it will up the state’s “cool factor.”
Of course, there are a number of Disney-owned television shows that are filmed in New York. Most notably, The View has filmed there for more than 20 years. New York City is also the home of ABC News. And let’s not forget about the Broadway productions that Disney invests millions of dollars in, like Aladdin and Frozen.
Of course, Mr. Iger has not committed to the company filming more films and television shows in New York. He is very focused on making the company as profitable as possible and will film in places where he can save the most money. However, a large piece of Disney — as long as it owns ABC — will always call New York home.
Do you think Disney should film more in the U.S.? Or should it go where the savings are? Let us know what you think in the comments!