LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When Louisville attorney Jeremy Winton discovered a passion for film, he realized there was no reason movies and shows couldn't be produced in his home state.
Now Winton is fully immersed in the business of bringing filmmakers to Kentucky.
"Every type of movie is being filmed here," he said of the state's emerging role in the industry.
But, why Kentucky? And why now?
Because the state is rolling out the red carpet for the film and television industry with a revamped tax incentive program aimed at drawing more productions to the Bluegrass State.
State leaders hope the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive (KEI) Program will position the Commonwealth as a serious player in the growing world of on-location filming. The program now offers refundable tax credits of up to 35% on qualifying in-state production costs, one of the most competitive rates in the country. It's capped at $75 million annually with a per-project maximum of $10 million.
Eligible projects include feature films, TV shows, commercials, documentaries and even national Broadway tours that spend at least $250,000 in the state. For productions filmed in economically enhanced counties or that hire Kentucky-based crews, the incentive increases from 30% to 35%.
Winton, along with his Hollywood producer counterpart Kristi Kilday, opened the Kentucky Sound Stage in Owensboro earlier this year. They are creating additional infrastructure and resources to draw more productions to the state. Projects are already taking shape there, including a movie that wrapped up filming last week.
FilmLEX is another sound stage in Lexington aimed at doing the same, and long-awaited construction on a film and TV soundstage complex anchored by Louisville Gardens could start by the end of 2025.
"There's standing sets that include elevators, hospital rooms, courthouses, jails, where we can film movies, commercials, music videos, anything you'd like to film there," Winton said of his sound stage in western Kentucky.
"Sound stages are imperative in a tax incentive state to really bring in and attract larger studios and streamers," Kilday added. "I came here to shoot a TV show, and two weeks later, moved here because of how solid this incentive was."
KEI has approved roughly $50 million for 38 projects this year—following $67 million in credits granted in 2024. But the program has hit a temporary pause after reaching near the $75 million annual cap, state officials announced April 24.
Now, with new applications frozen, the state’s Economic Development Finance Authority is reviewing how best to allocate remaining funds, ensuring credits go to productions that align with strategic goals.
"This program has grown so far, so fast, with so much interest that in the month of April... we would have gone through all of those available credits that month," said Jeff Noel, the Secretary of the Cabinet of Economic Development. "We felt that this pause would give us an idea, you know, a time to kind of reflect, look at ways of strengthening the program."
The revamped KEI program was signed into law this spring and officially takes effect July 1. It also creates a new Kentucky Film Office and Film Leadership Council, tasked with marketing the state to industry decision-makers, managing the application process and helping foster a skilled local workforce.
Winton and Kilday are using their knowledge of the industry to be part of that movement. Outside of managing the Kentucky Sound Stage, the two also produce and distribute content, and most importantly help market Kentucky to Hollywood.
They recently established the West Kentucky Film Commission, to join the ranks of other commissions across the state and help bring Kentucky to the big screen.
"You've got everything here," Kilday said. "You've got big city in Louisville. You've got your grass, your rolling grass, you have mountains, you have lakes, you've got small towns. You have literally everything you could ever want here."
Key players in the film industry, and our state's own lawmakers, believe the changes will simplify the process for filmmakers while maximizing economic impact in communities across Kentucky.
"Maybe Kentucky didn't do the best job of advertising the incentive to Hollywood, and we have worked hard to change that, and I think Frankfort to make adjustments to change that, and the communities are going to see a lot more movies coming into town," Winton said.
If the program delivers as promised, the phrase "lights, camera, action" could soon be as Kentucky as bourbon, basketball and horses.
Related Coverage:
'Very possible' Louisville Gardens work could start in 2025, project official says
City gearing up for multimillion-dollar renovation of historic Louisville Gardens
Kentucky Sound Stage rolls out the red carpet for the state's growing film industry
Bill that would create Kentucky Film Office advances to full Senate
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