Headline rate, caps, minimum spend, payroll fringe, and the official film office for North Carolina. Reference data for producers, line producers, and financiers structuring a North Carolina shoot.
Illustrative reference. Verify before deal.
North Carolina's 25% grant program is funded through the NC Film and Entertainment Grant, with a recurring annual allocation of $31 million that is functionally uncapped as unused funds carry forward. Per-project caps are $15 million for television and streaming series per season, $7 million for feature films, and $250,000 for commercials. Wilmington is the state's production anchor, home to the EUE/Screen Gems studio campus and a crew base with decades of continuous production experience from series like One Tree Hill, Iron Fist, and numerous feature films. The state's geography spans Blue Ridge Mountain communities, Piedmont suburbs, and Atlantic coastal towns, providing substantial location variety within a single state. Awards are at the discretion of the NC Secretary of Commerce, so productions should engage the NC Film Office early to understand the competitive evaluation process.
The questions producers ask first when sizing a North Carolina shoot, answered against the state's current program structure and fringe environment.
Headline rate is the start, not the end. Compare North Carolina side-by-side with every other U.S. jurisdiction on caps, minimum spend, refundability, and fringe before locking the location.
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