Between 2024 and 2025, television and film production in Los Angeles dropped by 22% due to wildfires and production studios migrating east, searching for tax incentives and affordable land.
Tyler Perry built a 300+ acre studio lot in Georgia. Netflix recently broke ground on a $900 million studio lot in New Jersey. And Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is building G-Unit Studios in Louisiana, all in pursuit of lower production costs and tax credits.
Now, legislators in Harrisburg are working to bring production to Pennsylvania.
State Rep. Andre Carroll — who represents the 201st Legislative District, which includes Germantown, Logan, and West Oak Lane — has put forward the Pennsylvania Film Production Tax Credit and Video Game Production Tax Credit to entice more productions to set up shop in the Commonwealth.
Philadelphia Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, Majority Whip, and Christina Faith, founder of The Grindhouse production studios are two local voices supporting the Pennsylvania Creative Tax Credit Enhancement Act. Thomas cited Faith as a driving force behind this legislation, citing that he often listens to “experts in private industries that provide information and perspectives that help us.”
Faith spoke to Metro, sharing her perspective of a studio owner: “The first thing we look (for) is a tax credit. I always look at Philadelphia as a place where people are creatively made, but they have to move (away) from if they want to advance in their career.”
The proposed Creative Tax Credit Enhancement Act would include a 35 percent tax credit for film, TV, digital media, and game production under $50 million, as well as a 45 percent credit for projects over $50 million. It includes bonus credits that incentivize local hiring — with more than 70 percent of the production’s workforce required to be Pennsylvania residents — regional filming bonuses and logo visibility.
These incentives are competitive with legislation in neighboring New Jersey, which offers tax credits between 30 and 40 percent.
“One thing we spoke about was having our own ‘Tyler Perry Lot’ here, we don’t need it someplace else,” Faith said. “The way the economy grows is not just changing the tax credit, but having a homegrown organization that partners with local organizations to have a (production studio) lot like that.”
Faith has introduced a “$300 million plan to build a lot here, in the city, that can be duplicated in other parts of the state” as an example of what could be possible if this legislation is passed.
When asked about the likeness of this legislation making it through Harrisburg, Thomas said, “I’m not sure… That’s why we advocate, right? That’s why we’re in meetings with legislators and people who care about the industry… The more organizing that continues to happen, the more the constituent base has an appetite, 2026 is a state election year.”
Thomas added that “I can’t definitively say whether or not it’s going to happen, but I can say we’re going to continue to fight and organize until we feel like we’re in a place where this industry can be successful in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
