Lexington’s conference and customer’s bureau has simply launched Movie Lexington, a staff and useful resource hub led by Hollywood advertising exec Lisa Brin to advertise Kentucky’s incentive program launched in 2022 and assist producers on the bottom.
The Kentucky Leisure Incentive provides totally refundable manufacturing tax credit of 30% to 35% with an annual state cap of $75 million and mission cap of $10 million. The Lexington space noticed manufacturing rise in 2023 regardless of the strike and continued so as to add tasks this 12 months, says Brin, a Kentucky native.
The state program had about $15 million left final 12 months and about $13 stays to date in 2024 with about 19 tasks permitted for Lexington and Central Kentucky — 12 movie and 7 tv. Over the past eight months, the area supported about 30 tasks. “There’s curiosity … and we haven’t even formally began to market and promote,” Brin tells Deadline.
FilmLEX desires to develop the realm right into a thriving movie and leisure manufacturing hub for options and TV tasks between $1 million to $10 million.
“That’s actually our candy spot … that one to 10,” says Brin, who has labored on function campaigns with Disney, Common Footage and DreamWorks.
It’s an advanced time with TV manufacturing effectively off its highs, indie movie challenged and tasks shifting abroad, a pattern accelerated by the strikes. Tax incentives are normally the principle consideration for producers, the crews. “We needed to arrange the area and the town of Lexington for achievable success in order that we actually delivered, and we felt that was a very good place to begin.”
The state is thought for its rolling horse nation and nice bourbon, “however there actually is a lot extra,” she mentioned. The official announcement of FilmLEX calls Lexington “a contemporary, mid-size metropolis wealthy in historical past and sources for the filmmaking group. The realm boasts abundantly various landscapes and real-life backdrops that function a façade for any style — from bustling, city cityscapes to quaint small cities frozen in time; and from rolling bluegrass hills and plush forests to castles, battlefields and deserted rickhouses [used to store bourbon]. Lexington’s 4 seasons create temper and character all 12 months spherical with best-in-class hospitality and a heat and welcoming spirit.”
Native celebrities Steve Zahn and Wealthy Gomez, who based Macaroni Artwork Productions in Halfway simply exterior of Lexington, created, produced and starred in a video urging filmmakers to test it out. “You possibly can movie something right here,” Zahn says, as the 2 shoot bits of varied genres from an Irish drama to a horror.
“Throughout the board, we’re seeing record-breaking funding and progress, and it’s no shock that Kentucky’s movie and tv business is sharing in that success,” mentioned Gov. Andy Beshear, who was on Democratic presidential candidate Kamana Harris’ VP brief listing. “Companions like VisitLEX are serving to to point out the world that nice issues are taking place right here within the commonwealth, and the creation of FilmLEX proves leisure manufacturing will likely be a giant a part of our rising economic system.”
Infrastructure consists of new LEX Studios, a 50,000 sq. foot facility with three sound levels; Wrigley Media Group, a full-service, public-use manufacturing house; Arri licensed movie faculty Asbury College’s 52,000-square-foot mixed-use manufacturing advanced; and Studio46 Media’s studio, and what Brin known as “a budding crew base.”
“We’re a lot greater than meets the attention, and actually supportive. Finally, it begins with the incentives, after which have a look at all the pieces we’ve got to supply,” says Brin.
