Cleveland Filming Incentives
Background: Our organization is the one-stop-shop for motion picture production in northern Ohio. We represent state government, the City of Cleveland, and surrounding cities and counties within a two-hour radius. We have worked to bring an unusual level of cooperation to producers by engaging business as well as governmental entities, and we have created a number of programs to make your experience here easy and cost effective.
This year, we established an agreement with Mayor Frank Jackson to be able to offer fee-free use of the Cleveland Convention Center to motion picture producers. The overall Convention Center is over 375,000 square feet. Some of its notable spaces, well suited for production, include:
- Public Hall – at 29,760 square feet with a ceiling height of 80 feet
Four other halls totaling over 317,000 square feet, with ceiling heights ranging from 16 – 28 feet
- An enormous on–site kitchen with capacity to prepare 6,000 meals a day
22 rooms, suitable for office space, casting and storage, ranging from 800 – 7,100 square feet
The Cleveland Convention Center is conveniently located, five minutes walk from all downtown hotels, five minutes drive from downtown Burke Lakefront Airport and 15 minutes away from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (Hopkins offers direct, non-stop flights to LAX, all NYC airports, London Gatwick, Chicago, Toronto and many other cities). Our permitting office is on the third floor of the Center itself.
In addition to the things most film offices do -- free locations scouting, directories, permitting assistance and the like -- the Greater Cleveland Film Commission works to cut costs for producers and go above and beyond to provide an excellent environment for filming. Our offerings include:
- Free flights, hotel rooms and ground transportation. Free of charge during development and scouting phases, the Greater Cleveland Film Commission
- Fly decision makers to Cleveland
- Provide lodging at the Ritz Carlton, Cleveland
Provide free ground transportation and cover meals
(These free tours are generally for up to four key decision makers and at the discretion of the Film Commission).
The Cleveland Crew Call Discount Card and Personal Production Shopper
Cleveland's Council of Smaller Enterprises and the Greater Cleveland Film Commission offer a production discount program with participating vendors and a Personal Shopper to work with production staff on large-scale productions. The motion picture Personal Shopper works with Production staff to serve, as a single source for finding the best deals in purchasing all needed goods and services -- quickly.
One Stop Hotel Bidding: The Film Commission and its partners will, upon request, send out a single unified request for bids to all area hotels.
One Stop Location Assistance: Not Only for Governmental Agencies, but for many private properties as well. The Greater Cleveland Film Commission is not only a central point for permitting and assistance with Federal, state, regional and local governmental agencies - we also have close relationships with many private property owners in downtown Cleveland that can assist producers in location control.
No Hotel Tax After 30 Days: After 30 days of consecutive stay, visiting crew is considered residents and incur no further hotel tax.
Finally – we are within striking distance of passing the Ohio Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit. We have modeled our legislation on the best elements of Louisiana's tax credit program with the advice of Stonehenge Capital LLC – one of the largest intermediaries of film tax credits in the country (for more information, please go to http://www.stonehengecapital.com/ent.cfm).
We have substantial support from the majority of the Ohio House and the Senate and have moved our legislation two-thirds of the way through each Ways and Means Committees. Ohio will have a new Governor as of January 2007, and we believe we will see our program passed early next year. I've enclosed our most current legislation for your review.
At your convenience, it would be our pleasure to bring you and several of your colleagues out to Cleveland at the Film Commission's expense. Flight arrangements would be in First Class on Continental Airlines, hotel accommodations would likely be at the Ritz Carlton Cleveland, and the Film Commission will also pick up any ground transportation costs and meals for you and your team.
Please contact Ivan Schwarz, Vice President, The Greater Cleveland Film Commission at any time at 216-623-3910, on cell at 216-308-3381, or by email at ischwarz@clevelandfilm.com. We would enjoy the opportunity to show you what Cleveland has to offer as we work to make this a superlative experience for motion picture producers.
