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# Louisiana officials tap into local market for more filming business
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/louisiana-officials-tap-into-local-market-for-more-filming-business/
- Published: 2005-11-05T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T08:07:13.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Louisiana tax incentives billed as ‘one of a kind’*

OCEAN AVENUE — Despite recent devastation from hurricanes, representatives from Louisiana urged movie producers this week to film in their home state, saying the tax incentives available would make the trip worthwhile.

Sen. Jay Dardenne (R-Baton Rouge) and Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin “Kip” Holden were part of a delegation from Louisiana addressing 100 movie producers at Le Merigot Hotel on Thursday. They promoted a tax incentive package approved prior to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Due to Katrina’s economic impact, the incentives couldn’t be more timely, they said.

The Aug. 25 hurricane had winds of up to 100 miles per hour along the Gulf Coast and is believed to have caused $26 billion in damage to parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Breaches in at least one levee allowed water from Lake Pontchartrain to inundate sections of New Orleans. Canal Street was literally a canal, according to some reports. Dozens of people were rescued from roofs and attics. Thousands took shelter in the New Orleans Superdome.

Dardenne explained that he and other Louisiana groups in recent years have been developing the state’s film industry. As such, the Louisiana legislature passed tax incentive laws catered to production companies as a way to lure them into the Pelican State to film.

Although Southern areas have been largely decimated by Katrina — and there continue to be infrastructure difficulties — delegation representatives assured movie producers on Thursday that Louisiana is “open for business” and progress will continue, despite recent setbacks.

“You can still walk down Bourbon Street, and Baton Rouge was completely spared,” Dardenne said. “Opportunities now abound, and it’s a great time to take advantage of what we have to offer, a tax incentive package par excellence.”

During the presentation, Dardenne played a video featuring Louisiana sights and scenery while a poem he wrote about the Pelican State was recited over an audio system. Dardenne explained to the audience that films such as “Bound for Glory,” “Dukes of Hazzard” and “Reaping” were recently shot in Louisiana. In addition, during the American Film Market — an industry event held annually in Santa Monica that took place last week — $200 million in movie deals were brokered that will be filmed in Louisiana, organizers said.

It’s believed that movie companies filming in Louisiana would be part of a larger recovery effort intended to kickstart the state’s economy. While the months since Katrina have left parts of Louisiana in disarray, infrastructure is in now in place to accommodate production crews, officials said.

“We have hotel availability,” said Paul Arrigo, CEO of the Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Until now, that’s been our hole in the plan.

“Our hotels are open, and we’re ready to fill them.”

The tax incentive package will enable producers to save more than 25 percent of their filming budget for the next two years. Depending on the film’s budget, producers can expect to save up to 80 percent of the taxes they would normally pay prior to the passing of Dardenne’s legislation, organizers said. Movie budgets as low as $300,000 qualify for the incentives.

Jeff Begun, vice president of business development for Axium International — a company that handles industry accounting services — said the tax incentives being offered in Louisiana for the next two years are one of a kind, exceeding Canada and the Czech Republic.

“This year and next year, Louisiana is by far the best place for production,” Begun said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 5, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110505.pdf?ref=smdp.com)