Lights, Camera, Carolina!
North Carolina has the crews, stages, and scenery. Now state leaders are focused on making sure the business behind the cameras gives productions a reason to keep calling “action” here.
Gov. Josh Stein and Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley recently toured Cinespace Studios in Wilmington, where they discussed the future of the state’s film incentives and their role in attracting productions. The Wilmington facility itself offers 10 stages and 258,000 square feet of production space, along with mills, water facilities, production offices, and other support.
The Numbers Behind the Credits
North Carolina’s Film and Entertainment Grant Program currently provides rebates of up to 25% on qualified in-state production expenses. The program receives $31 million in recurring funding each fiscal year, with unused money rolling over to the next year.
According to the Governor’s Office, nearly 60 productions filmed across the state in 2024, resulting in more than $302 million in direct in-state spending. Over the past decade, productions have spent more than $1.3 billion in North Carolina and generated nearly 67,000 job opportunities. The state also counts more than 4,000 film professionals among its workforce.
Those numbers help explain why the conversation around incentives reaches well beyond studio gates. Film and television are part of the state’s broader arts and entertainment industry, connecting creative work with a network of businesses that keep productions moving. A project needs camera crews and set builders, but it also needs lodging, meals, transportation, equipment, supplies, and plenty of other services. That gives each production the potential to put money to work across several corners of a community.
Setting the Stage for What Comes Next
Stein and Lilley have called for maintaining a reliable incentive structure as North Carolina competes for future film and television projects. The state already brings established production infrastructure, an experienced workforce, and thousands of potential filming locations to the table.
For North Carolina, the next act is about keeping those pieces working together. When productions choose the state, the impact can extend from soundstages to small businesses, giving plenty of us a stake in what happens after the director calls “action.”
See more of the studios helping bring productions to life across the state at https://www.guidetonc.com/movie-recording-studios.
