How I Lost a Tax Credit: What Every Filmmaker Should Know Before They Shoot

In my early days as a filmmaker, I made a mistake I’ll never forget. We were prepping my first feature, Summer of Violence. We moved the shoot from L.A. to Colorado at the last minute—and completely missed the deadline for Colorado’s $25K tax credit.

And because we didn’t qualify for California’s program either, we ended up leaving money on the table. It wasn’t because we weren’t working hard. It was because we didn’t know the system. Here’s the truth: Tax credits can make or break an indie film.

Right now, California has $750M in tax incentives set aside for productions. But most creators never access it because they don’t know the application process—or they don’t have their paperwork ready. If you're serious about making your project real, you need more than talent. You need a producer’s brain. And you need to know when and how to apply for state incentives.

Don’t wait until you're in pre-production to figure this out. Don’t depend on someone else to handle your money.

🎬 Learn the business. It could fund your next film.