OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – The Filmed in Oklahoma Act has generated over $531 million in direct economic impact for the state.
The Filmed in Oklahoma Act (FIOA) was signed into law on May of 2021. An economic impact study shows that FIOA has been making economic waves with the growing number of film and television productions in Oklahoma.
“Storytellers are some of the most important people in the world as they set the vision and values of future generations, and I’m proud we are telling more and more of those stories in Oklahoma,” said Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell. “The way municipalities and tribal partners create their own localized incentives that work with the state rebate has been incredible. These partnerships set Oklahoma apart and make this kind of lasting economic impact possible.”
The economic impact of film and TV projects in Oklahoma was $484 million from fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2023.
The state-funded economic study also had these findings:
- 60 percent of qualified spending went to worker wages;
- 40 percent funded direct purchases of goods and services; and
- Incentivized spending increased from $31.8 million in FY 2020 to $161.3 million annually from FY 2021 to FY 2023.
“This economic study reveals what we already know, more film and TV projects are choosing Oklahoma than ever before,” said Jeanette Stanton, Director of the Oklahoma Film + Music Office. “Governor Stitt signing the ‘Filmed in Oklahoma Act’ was a game-changer for our state. We have new projects reaching out to us every day to learn more about Oklahoma, especially after seeing the success of a TV series like Reservation Dogs and major motion pictures like Killers of the Flower Moon, Twisters and Reagan.”
The Filmed in Oklahoma Act of 2021 gives a maximum of $30 million in cash rebates to film and television productions shot in Oklahoma each fiscal year, which is from July 1 to June 30, for 10 years. A production must spend over $50,000 in the state to qualify for the rebate.
Oklahoma was the only state with a film/TV incentive to rank among the top ten in film and TV employment growth (56 percent), total compensation growth (169 percent) and annual compensation per worker growth (72.3 percent).
“Filmmaking in Oklahoma is at never-before-seen levels of success, thanks in large part to the rebates and tax incentives offered by the Filmed in Oklahoma Act,” said Meg Gould, Executive Director, Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts and Culture. “Those funds have helped grow the industry locally and across the state, and to keep this momentum and further solidify Oklahoma as a global production hub, we must ensure our funding stays competitive with other states around the country. With additional funding, Oklahoma would continue to grow our local filmmaking industry and workforce, bringing more attention to the state and dollars to the economy.”
Other notable highlights from the study are as follows:
- $531 million in Economic Impact: To date, the “Filmed in Oklahoma Act” has generated $531 million in total economic impact.
- 4:1 ROI: $78 million in incentives were paid between FY 2022 and FY 2024 while projects had $344 million in qualified expenditures. That’s a 4.4:1 ROI.
- $79,450 Average Wage: Today, the average film and TV industry wage in Oklahoma is $79,450. That’s up 66% from late 2019.
- Top Ten Growth: Oklahoma ranked 6th in film and TV employment growth (56.2%), 4th in total compensation growth (169%), and 9th in change in annual compensation per worker (72.3%) among the states. Oklahoma is the only state to rank among the top ten in all three measures.
- $24.3 million: Of total FY23 qualified labor spending, $24.3 million went to Oklahoma residents.
- $47.3 million: Despite a nearly five-month work stoppage, film and TV productions had a $47.3 million economic impact in FY24.
“The results of the new study on the performance of FIOA substantiate what we are witnessing in the film production sector across Oklahoma,” said Jill Simpson, Executive Director, Oklahoma City Film & Creative Industries Office. “The program is working efficiently and as intended in growing a local workforce, diversifying the economy, and infusing both state and city economies with new dollars. As we raise Oklahoma’s profile within the industry and beyond through both homegrown and recruited projects, we provide updated images of the Oklahoma people and places we all know and love. This translates to increased tourism in our state. The current momentum of our film industry is a huge win for Oklahoma.”
Film and television production has grown significantly in Oklahoma in recent years.
Rachel Cannon, an Oklahoma native who co-starred in the hit television sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, recently announced that she is launching a new entertainment company that aims to develop live-audience sitcoms in Oklahoma.
Cannon’s new company is called Rock Paper Cannon, and she aspires to build a Middle America comedy hub that produces entertainment for live audiences with a focus on multicamera sitcoms.
Both a television star and former studio CEO, Cannon plans to partner with entertainment industry talent to elevate Oklahoma’s creative industry, expand job opportunities and grow the state’s economy. In addition to having a recurring role on Fresh Off the Boat, Cannon’s 80-plus network tv credits include Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory and Mad Men. She is also the former CEO of Prairie Surf Studios in Oklahoma City and helped recruit major productions to Oklahoma, including Tulsa King and Twisters. She now wants to make Oklahoma a destination for television productions.
Cannon, Pinnell and Stanton participated in a panel discussion in September about the rise of Oklahoma’s entertainment industry and the ongoing effort to attract more film and television productions to the state.
The following major productions were filmed in Oklahoma:
- The summer blockbuster Twisters was shot in Oklahoma.
- The first season of the Paramount Plus show Tulsa King was filmed in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and other in-state areas.
- The popular FX television show Reservation Dogs is shot in the Sooner State, specifically in Okmulgee.
- The critically-acclaimed feature film Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Brendan Fraser, filmed in several locations across Oklahoma, including Bartlesville, Fairfax, Osage County, Pawhuska and Tulsa.
- The theatrically released Reagan was filmed almost entirely in Guthrie.
“Not only do we have films that are in theaters, but we have films that are crushing the box office that were filmed in Oklahoma,” Cannon said during the panel.
Pinnell said during the panel that entertainment industry executives want state leaders to raise the FIOA rebate incentive to between $50-80 million.
“Frankly, many would like to take it higher than that,” Pinnell said during the panel.
The rebate incentive has to be raised to lock in production companies that are interested in filming in Oklahoma, according to Pinnell
“We turned away about $80 million worth of business last year, and that’s one of the reasons the industry was looking to get an $80-million rebate program,” Pinnell said. “We’ll see what the legislature is open to. There’s going to be asking for more money for state agencies. What I can tell any legislator though is the return on the investment that they’re going to get [by increasing the rebate incentive]. The return on the investment right now is very, very good when it comes to this incentive.”
Over $118 million was spent in Oklahoma in 2023 on film production, as well as around $58 million in payroll to people working in those productions.
Pinnell said that while Oklahoma’s 20 percent base rebate is strong, it’s not high enough to compete with incentives offered in Georgia, which grants a 30 percent income tax credit to film and TV productions, New Mexico, which has a 25-40 percent tax credit, and Texas, which provides up to 22.5 percent cash grants on qualified expenditures.
