In the seven years after Katrina, a look at how New Orleans became ‘Hollywood South’ (video)
Move over L.A & NYC! New Orleans is coming for your spot.
Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana on August 29, 2005, and since then, a resurgence has taken place in the state, in part due to a booming film industry. As we publish this, there are several movies in production and/or shooting there, including Lee Daniels’ ensemble drama The Butler, starring Forest Whitaker as Eugene Allen, the real-life White House servant that looked after eight first families (our interview with Daniels coming soon).
So we went down there ourselves to discover just how much this city has changed (and is adapting to the changes) with this boom. Watch below:
“Since 2002 they have offered this beautiful tax incentive to filmmakers that gives them a thirty percent tax credit, said Jonathan Ray Owner of The Original New Orleans Movie Tours, so as you can image they have been flocking here.”
In 2002, State Rep. Steve Scalise (R-New Orleans) proposed the tax credit program that enticed the film industry to produce movies in the state of Louisiana. He proposed the tax credit prior to Katrina, but New Orleans has seen the significant influx of movie productions since the storm.
“I’m really proud not only of the over 200 films that have been produced here since then, but if you just look at this year alone, according to the state Department of Economic Development, the film industry will represent 10,000 jobs in this state,” Scalise said through a WWLTV interview.
By the end of this year, the city’s film office expects a total of 45 movies to be made in New Orleans.
(Photo: Facebook.com/NewOrleans)
