Written by on Mar 8, 2013. Posted in Incentive News

Western New York loses Kevin Costner’s Draft Day over filming incentives

Western New York has lost the chance to host Kevin Costner’s new baseball feature Draft Day because Ohio offered better location filming incentives. Despite intense negotiations in New York, the production will make script changes and save about USD3.5 million filming in Cleveland.

Draft Day’s story focuses on Costner’s fictional baseball manager and the script will now portray the Cleveland Browns team in Ohio rather than New York’s Buffalo Bills.

“[This] is just the latest example,” comments New York State Senator Patrick Gallivan, “of why New York State needs to expand and reform its film production tax credit programme to make Upstate and Western New York more attractive to the entertainment industry.

“Western New York didn’t lose a movie today, we lost jobs; a failure to act after this latest development would be inexcusable.”

New York State needs to expand and reform its film production tax credit program to make Upstate and Western New York more attractive to the entertainment industry.

Patrick Gallivan, New York State Senator

New York has a hugely competitive and well-funded filming incentive, but production tends to focus on New York City and costs quickly rise for projects planning a shoot in upstate locations like Buffalo. Senator Gallivan is advocating a tiered increase in the state filming incentives for productions shooting further from New York City.