Shapiro Administration Boosts Pennsylvania’s Creative Economy with $117 Million Investment in 59 TV and Film Productions, Injecting $1.11 Billion into the Economy and Creating Over 11,700 Jobs

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Film Commissioner Gino Anthony Pesi announced the Pennsylvania Film Office has awarded $117 million through the Film Production Tax Credit Program to a record 59 projects, estimated to inject a total of $1.1 billion into the economy in 35 counties across the Commonwealth. These investments will also generate $68.7 million in state and local tax revenue and create or support more than 11,700 jobs.

The Film Production Tax Credit Program awards for 2025-2026 include high-profile economic drivers like Paramount’s Mayor of Kingstown (season 5), the Netflix series Tires (season 3), and Berwyn, Pennsylvania native Brad Ingelsby’s second season of HBO’s Task. These three projects alone are expected to contribute more than $301 million in direct expenditures and create or support over 7,000 jobs.

“The Film Production Tax Credit program and our growing infrastructure continues to attract production to the Commonwealth. These projects showcase Pennsylvania’s diverse geography and topography, stimulate economic impact for our local businesses, and provide life-sustaining wages to our top-notch crews,” said Film Commissioner Pesi. “We are also focused on complementing the attraction of high-profile projects through the Pennsylvania Film Producer Reserve, which embraces independent producers to help retain our trained workforce and create pathways to success for Pennsylvania storytellers.”

The Pennsylvania Film Producer Reserve is an annual, dedicated pool of funding from the Film Production Tax Credit Program. The Reserve, which provides a total of $5 million in tax credits each year to support small, independent filmmakers within the Commonwealth, awarded a combined $11.1 million to a record 31 projects — injecting an estimated $35 million in direct spend and creating or supporting 2,600 jobs across the Commonwealth. This year, demand for the Pennsylvania Film Producer Reserve far outweighed its allocation by 122 percent.

The Pennsylvania Film Producer Reserve, which supported only one project in the three-year period prior to the Shapiro Administration, has grown to 74 projects since 2023 under this Administration. Those 74 projects are estimated to contribute over $74.5 million in direct impact across the Commonwealth, while creating or supporting more than 5,600 jobs.

Some of the independent productions that received awards through the Pennsylvania Film Producer Reserve and the general fund this year include:

• The Basketball Movie in Philadelphia – estimated direct spend of more than $10.3 million and creation of 888 Pennsylvania jobs
• Recipe Philly in Philadelphia – estimated direct spend of $7,356,589 and creation of 84 jobs
• Gettysburg 1863 in Adams County – estimated direct spend of $592,000 and creation of 51 full-time jobs
• Just One More in Centre County – estimated direct spend of $343,750 and creation of 75 jobs
• The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Philadelphia, – estimated direct spend of $794,971 and creation of 22 jobs
• Strangers in Philadelphia – estimated direct spend of $1,867,425 and creation of 215 jobs
• The Long Way Through in Wayne, Pike, Monroe, and Carbon County – estimated direct spend of $1,901,139 and creation of 133 jobs
• Triviamania in Allegheny County – estimated direct spend of $559,274 and creation of 25 jobs
• Awesome Gal in Allegheny County – estimated direct spend of $230,000 and creation of 108 jobs
• Monaca Docuseries Episodes 1, 1.5, 2 in Beaver County – estimated direct spend of $211,000 and creation of 21 jobs

Bandwagon, the production company led by Chris Kaye and Zoë Worth, have teamed up with Aubrey Plaza to produce The Basketball Movie in Philadelphia – a story about two disillusioned 30-something best friends that start a recreational women’s basketball league to turn their lives around. The project will be directed by Josh Margolin (2024 Sundance breakout comedy, Thelma). “We are so excited to be making an underdog sports movie in the home of the very best of underdog sports movies, Philadelphia! Especially at such an exciting time for women’s sports – women’s basketball in particular – and in anticipation of Philly’s own forthcoming WNBA franchise,” said Zoe Worth, Writer/Producer.

Recipe Philly is an independent reality competition series where local chefs compete to have their home-cooked recipes appear on the menu of a new live restaurant. The restaurant, also named Recipe Philly, is set to open in late summer in Philadelphia, with a menu comprised of the best dishes from the competition. “As a Pennsylvania resident for over 65 years, I can’t thank the Pennsylvania Film Office enough for supporting my work as an independent producer and filmmaker. I never could have succeeded without the tax credit,” said Ed Baumstein, Producer, Recipe Philly.

Gettysburg 1863 was produced by Kenneth Allen Schwenker alongside Adams County residents Bo Brinkman and Kris Webb. “The remarkable efficiency of the state’s process was greatly appreciated, allowing us to focus on filming 95 percent of Gettysburg 1863 right here in Adams County,” said Kristin Webb and Bo Brinkman, Producers.

Just One More, distributed by Angel Studios, is a film produced by Twinbolt Media, a Nashville-based company comprised of twin brothers Kyler and Kaleb Cook. “Working with the PA Film Office, the process has been clear, organized, and efficient. The experience has been so positive that, as we entered pre-production on our next project, we’ve already decided to film in Pennsylvania again. Having funding specifically available for independent filmmakers makes the decision an easy one for our future productions,” said Kaleb and Kyler Cook, Twinbolt Media.

Other independent projects being produced in Pennsylvania include documentaries like Ben Feldman’s The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (aka Behind The Sun), which premiered on Netflix after screenings at SXSW, and upcoming narrative features like Strangers, with Frankie Shaw starring alongside Philadelphia native Jeff Ward, who also wrote and directed the project penned by coproducer Dan Schimpf. Ward produced Strangers alongside Allison Friedman and Cocreated Media’s Bailey Jones, Billy Hines, and Ryan Bartecki.

Pennsylvania has a lot to offer productions. Producers are noticing.

Overall, the implementation of the Film Production Tax Credit program under the Shapiro Administration has made a large impact on Pennsylvania’s economy, with 164 total projects estimated to inject over $3.45 billion in total output and $1.4 billion in direct spend over 45 counties, while creating or supporting more than 46,000 qualified jobs since the Administration took office in 2023.

The Film Production Tax Credit Program has seen substantial growth compared to the previous three-year period:

• 412.5 percent increase in project volume (164 versus 32)
• 70.52 percent increase in direct spend ($1.4 billion versus $821 million)
• 100.6 percent increase in PA jobs (46,998 versus 23,429)
• 100.9 percent increase in PA Resident Wages ($556.2 million versus $278 million)
• 74.38 percent increase in Qualified Wages ($940.8 million versus $539.5 million)
• 9 percent increase of PA Resident Wage (52 percent of total wages allocated versus 43 percent)
• 45 different Commonwealth counties directly benefiting versus 14 counties
• 74 PA Producer Reserve Projects versus one project

The Pennsylvania Film Office, part of the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), administers the Film Production Tax Credit Program. The program offers a 25-30 percent tax credit to productions that spend at least 60 percent of their total budget in the Commonwealth. To be eligible, projects must be a feature film, a television film, a television talk or game show series, a television commercial, a television pilot, or each episode of a television series intended as programming for a national audience.

The production awards announced today show the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to making Pennsylvania a leader in economic development and creating real opportunities for all Pennsylvanians. Governor Josh Shapiro is calling for another $100 million in funding for the Film Production Tax Credit Program in his 2026-27 budget proposal.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Film Office or the Film Production Tax Credit Program, visit filminpa website.

For more information about DCED, visit the agency’s website, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Penny Ickes, dcedpress@pa.gov

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