Lights, camera, Dayton: Could tax incentives bring film projects to the Miami Valley?

Grigsby asked commissioners to support Dayton’s growth in the film industry through local tax incentives to pair with Ohio’s existing program.

Ohio’s tax incentive program for filmmaking started in 2009. Projects that qualify are provided a refundable tax credit of 30% on production cast and crew wages and other kinds of in-state spending. Ohio lawmakers agreed to increase the annual cap on this benefit to $75 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

State officials estimate that the tax incentive program has created more than 7,000 full-time equivalent jobs. More than 300 film productions have been shot in Ohio during this timeframe.

But roughly 60% of the films taking advantage of this program are shot in Cleveland. A local incentive could coax filmmakers to consider the Gem City for their projects, Grigsby said.

Columbus will be the first city in the state to roll out a pilot local incentive program, with applications opening later this year. Qualifying projects can receive up to a 10% cash rebate, with a cap of $40,000, according to the Film Columbus.

Grigsby said reality TV projects have seen a presence in the Miami Valley in recent years. This includes shows like Catfish, Cupcake Wars, Undercover Boss and more.

Dayton also saw the filming of Robert Redford’s “The Old Man and The Gun.” In four days of production, the project spent $400,000. During the filming of that project, some local businesses, like a Dayton-area dry cleaning business reported record sales, Grigsby said.

“The biggest thing that people seem to talk about when I talk about this is ‘Oh, so we’re giving them an incentive to bring stars to town.’ And certainly, it happens on occasion,” Grigsby said. “But this is about economic development. Hotels, parking, catering, cranes. All kinds of things. That’s what this is about.”

Montgomery County commissioners did not take any action on the proposal during their Tuesday meeting, but Montgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert said that film productions could provide support to local businesses.