Filmmakers support investment in a local film industry
By Steve Van Kooten
While Hollywood struggles along, grappling with decreasing revenue, high vacancy rates on Los Angeles production lots and guild strikes, states like Wisconsin are making moves to attract filmmaking talent and projects.
In February, Governor Tony Evers announced that $10 million worth of incentives for film productions and a state film office are part of his 2025–27 biennial state budget proposal. Earlier this month, a Republican-authored proposal with similar provisions circulated among legislators.
“The bipartisan support is really exciting, as I think both can see that this isn’t really even about art or culture (which I’m excited about) but economics,” wrote Nathan Deming, a Tomah native and filmmaker. “Film incentives, when done right, protect states and bring money in. Right now, we’re just losing a game we’re not playing.”
Deming noted that Evers’ plan and the proposals written by Wisconsin’s legislature help filmmakers by giving projects with budgets starting at $100,000 access to incentives.
“The current proposed plan for Wisconsin would be ideal for more modestly budgeted features, like the Christmas movie that was recently filmed in Door County,” wrote Jeffery Kurz, a member of Action! Wisconsin. “There is an insatiable appetite for Hallmark- and Lifetime-type movies that are modestly budgeted and ideal for Wisconsin.”
Action! Wisconsin is a coalition of filmmaking professionals that advocates for film and television production tax incentives.
Michael Graf, a Madison resident and co-writer of the drama film Green and Gold (2025), noted that several production companies, including Warner Brothers, said they won’t greenlight productions without incentives.
“People often forget the ‘business’ part of ‘show business’ and that film and television shows are basically huge construction projects that require a tremendous amount of manpower, equipment and finances,” wrote Graf.
“Production incentives are the number one factor studios and production companies consider when they are deciding where to film. It’s a standard part of their financial model. They will be huge for independent filmmakers in Wisconsin because a main component of the proposed program stipulates that only money spent on wages for Wisconsin residents and money spent with Wisconsin businesses will qualify for the tax credits,” said Kurz.
Deming, who filmed February (2024) in Wisconsin, noted that Wisconsin is one of 13 states that does not offer film incentives and one of only three that does not have a state film office. He called Wisconsin’s current filmmaking environment “a business without a storefront or a website.”
“When Hollywood or an indie filmmaker like me wants to make something in Wisconsin, they have nobody to call,” he wrote. “That’s supposed to be the film office’s job: to be the first-stop resource. [Where are] the crews? The locations? The caterers? Film offices help local businesses make money off of productions.”
Bringing film projects to Wisconsin could create economic gains for local communities. Action! Wisconsin claims that big-budget productions can add over $1 million to the local economy per day of filming through hotel accommodations, food and other spending.
“One Netflix film or series shot in a state means millions of dollars spent on local hotels, car rentals, location fees, florists, caterers, restaurants, antique dealers, carpenters, electricians, contractors, etc.,” wrote Graf. “And all of these local services are being used to generate sales tax and hotel room taxes, so the money is being funneled back into the state’s coffers.”
Deming used Field of Dreams (1989) as an example of a film that has had long-lasting effects on a small community. More than 30 years later, the movie, filmed in Dyersville, Iowa, still contributes to the local tourism.
Graf pointed to My Dead Friend Zoe (2024), a theatrical film that director and Madison native Kyle Hausmann-Stokes originally planned to set in Wisconsin. The production was moved to the Portland, Oregon, area to take advantage of tax-credit incentives.
“There are dozens of examples of this,” said Graf. “Personally, I’ve shot dozens of projects in Illinois and Texas specifically because it was cheaper to shoot there because of their incentives.”
The lack of infrastructure has made it more difficult to bring productions to Wisconsin despite the state’s many natural assets.
“We have a beautiful state, [many] versatile locations, and we train and graduate hundreds of film and television students every year here, who mostly leave the state to make money elsewhere,” wrote Deming.
“One of the biggest things Wisconsin can offer filmmakers is that it is basically an untapped resource. It’s rare to have a Midwestern state that can offer locations that stand in for oceans, mountains, urban and rural settings,” said Graf.
Supporting Wisconsin-based filmmaking can also change Hollywood’s listless vision of the Midwest, according to Deming.
“We have exciting stories, crazy characters, normal characters, heartbreak and betrayal — everything that you could write great stories about,” wrote Deming. “And they’ll continue to improve the more we allow Wisconsin filmmakers to speak for themselves and not let Hollywood speak for us. I’ve loved Hollywood my whole life, but was it really sustainable forever to just get stories from the coast? It’s our turn now, I think.”
