Entertainment Industry Incentives and Resources

The entertainment industry is a catalyst for economic development in Los Angeles because it supports thousands of service and supply industries, such as advertising, print media, makeup, costumes, craft talent, and craft services. It hosts events that support theaters, hotels, restaurants, catering, apparel and florists. This economic engine brings over $30 billion to California and supports over 200,000 local jobs. In addition, the film industry brings in more than $100 billion in tourism.

Los Angeles is serious about attracting and retaining the high paying white and blue collar jobs Hollywood brings to this region and provides lucrative entertainment industry incentives.

The City of Los Angeles offers reduced tax rates, breaks and incentives for the film industry and creative artists. The LA Office of Finance provides several pages of information to find the right program for your business.

Business Tax Incentives - Entertainment and Creative Talent

reduced business tax rates charged for commercial, television, and film productions

Self-Employed (Contractors, Creative Artists, 1099)

learn about the Creative Artists Exemption for those who make $300,000 or less annually when performing "creative activities" for "entertainment or aesthetic purposes"

Entertainment Production Cap

information about changes to general Entertainment Production taxes

Entertainment Creative Talent FAQ

questions and answers to the most frequently asked questions taxpayers have about the Business Tax and the Creative Artist Exemption

The City of L.A. Office of Citywide Filming offers dedicated support for the local entertainment industry, which is a $30 billion+ economic engine providing over 200,000 jobs. The City Council and Mayor's Office have approved a list of incentives designed to retain and attract film, television and commercial productions in the City.

Most City properties are available for commercial, television, and film productions at NO CHARGE (ie City Hall). Information is available at LocoScout.com, FilmLA’s searchable online resource for film locations.

Google Maps Interactive LA Parking Map was created to provide the film community with an easy-to-use tool to locate government parking lots in Downtown Los Angeles. Each parking lot is marked by a number and includes detailed information on the address, number of spaces, type (whether surface or structure), days and hours of availability, and contact information.

FilmLA’s core service is to provide expert, centralized coordination of multi-jurisdictional on-location filming permits in the world’s highest-volume film production region. Services include production planning, neighborhood notification, economic research and more. A comprehensive list of services and contacts is available on their For Filmmakers page.

The California Film Commission is a comprehensive resource for statewide film, TV, and commercial production. The Commission administers the Film & Television Tax Credit Program, which provides tax credits to qualified productions that are produced anywhere in California.