Hire Local, Reap Big Rewards
A persistent misconception among entertainment executives who haven't worked here is that Louisiana's production infrastructure exists primarily for studio-based scripted drama — the blockbuster productions that use the state's large purpose-built stages.
The reality is that Louisiana's crew base, equipment rental ecosystem, and production services infrastructure has matured dramatically over the past two decades of sustained production activity. Now, much of it is specifically geared for the leaner, faster, more observational production style of unscripted television.
Louisiana has been a production state since it pioneered the modern American film tax credit in 1990s and built out the first large-scale incentive program in the 2000s. More than 20 years of scripted and unscripted production have produced a deep bench of highly talented local crew across every department.
From camera operators who have shot in August humidity to location scouts who know which aging facade hide magic inside, Louisiana entertainment workers are uniquely prepared for production in the Bayou State. We come with the benefit of existing relationships with landowners, law enforcement, city officials, and community organizations across every parish.
This local crew base matters enormously for unscripted budgets. Flying in full crews from Los Angeles or New York is both expensive and, increasingly, unnecessary for the kind of lean, documentary-style production that defines the best contemporary reality television.
Productions that hire locally reap the reward of the state’s 40% tax incentive program. That largely reinforces what makes creative sense, too: Local crews understand the context of what and where they're shooting. So you don’t lose time or money explaining how to pronounce Tchoupitoulas or why the east means west depending on your orientation to the Mississippi River.
New Orleans specifically has developed into one of the most complete mid-market production hubs in the United States. Film New Orleans, the city's film office, has streamlined the permitting process and built strong working relationships between production companies and city agencies. Local organizations and universities with production programs, and a dense concentration of production services companies have all grown up around the sustained entertainment economy that the tax incentive created.
For unscripted productions that often need to move quickly, change locations on short notice, and access unusual spaces, New Orleans' combination of a cooperative film office, a compact geography where most of the city's most compelling visual environments are within 30 minutes of each other, and a community that is genuinely accustomed to and largely welcoming of production activity creates an operational environment that more established production markets frequently fail to match.
There’s no better place to shoot your next show, film, commercial or documentary than Louisiana. And we’re living proof.
