OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Wisconsin filmmakers want to bring back a state tax incentive for movie production, hoping to bring more movies, like “Public Enemies” to the state.
- “Public Enemies,” filmed in Oshkosh in 2008, brought a long lasting economic and tourism impact to the area.
- Action! Wisconsin wants to give tax credits to producers who choose to film in Wisconsin.
- Gov. Tony Evers included a 25% tax incentive program in his proposed 2025-27 state budget.
“They left no stone unturned, this all looked like bank teller booths, etcetera from the 20s,” Jim Robl says.
Robl owns 404 Wedding and Event Venue on Main Street in Oshkosh.
He still remembers when the building turned into a movie production for “Public Enemies” with Johnny Depp.
“It’s definitely been a big plus that they filmed here,” he says.
The venue also has a 20s-themed speakeasy in the basement, decorated with photos and memorabilia from the movie.
“I think overall the excitement that it brought to Oshkosh and downtown in particular was great,” Robl says.
It wasn’t just Robl that saw a positive impact from the movie, according to Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce economic development director Sean Fitzgerald.
“It was positive all the way around– during the filming itself, brought a lot of people out to watch the stars and watch a big-time Hollywood film be made,” he says. “And then obviously the aftermath of it in the almost 15 years since. A lot of tourists come to the community to take a look at the buildings, take a look at the scenery that was used in the film.”
When “Public Enemies” was filmed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin had a film tax incentive program, which gave a percentage of the cost of filming back to the producer.
In 2013, the incentive program was cut after critics said it was more beneficial to Hollywood producers than to Wisconsin.
Action! Wisconsin, a coalition of filmmakers, actors and other movie enthusiasts, wants to bring it back.
“Basically it means that any budget brought into the state gets a little bit of a rebate, or a little bit of the budget back, which seems a little bit like a Hollywood handout, but actually it's really smart," Nathan Deming, a Wisconsin filmmaker, says.
They also hope to see a recreation of a state film office, which is a state funded organization that coordinates with producers to get film crews set up to shoot in Wisconsin.
Most states have both an incentive program and a film office.
This year, there’s another chance to bring film incentives back to the state.
Gov. Evers announced in February that he added a tax credit program and a film office to his proposed 2025/27 budget.
The proposed budget says 25% of the money paid to Wisconsin film labor or production is included in the credit. This would apply to film, video, broadcast, advertisements or T.V.
The credit would be capped at $10 million each year starting in 2026.
Deming says the incentive will make it easier for filmmakers like himself to create movies in Wisconsin while also growing the film industry as a whole.
Deming recently released two films in Wisconsin but hopes to create 10 more.
“I want to film here a lot, but it gets really hard,” he says. “I had to fly in crew from California, I had to look for crew in Minneapolis and Chicago because although there’s talented people here and people who grew up here wanting to make movies, they have to leave because the film industry just isn’t really here.”
When movies are filmed in Wisconsin, Deming says it puts the state on the map.
“I think if more films were made here, not just me but plenty of other filmmakers from Madison, Milwaukee, Rhinelander, and wherever– all over the state, would have an opportunity to tell their story and their version of Wisconsin.
Alex Belville owns Mirrorless Productions in Oshkosh.
“We create cinematic videos and tell stories for businesses of all shapes and sizes,” he says.
While Belville is on the advertising side of filmmaking, he says a tax incentive would still help his business.
“If Wisconsin had his film tax incentives, it would push more businesses and brands to want to create here,” he says.
Aside from attracting tourists, Belville says movie production itself brings more business to Wisconsin.
“More movies being made here would support the local economy– that'd be more people supporting and going to local hotels, coffee shops, restaurants and simply simply keeping more money here and bringing more visitors to our great state,” he says.
