The $20.5 billion dollar state budget signed by Governor Hickenlooper this week includes $1.3 million dollars for the That鈥檚 less than half of what the department received last year.
The money goes toward luring production companies to film in Colorado. Film Commissioner Donald Zuckerman that little funding would 鈥渆ffectively mean we were out of business.鈥� But, he鈥檚 slightly more optimistic now.
Zuckerman will be using the entire $1.3 million to incentivize a television series. The production will also receive $1.8 million that was returned to the state after the filmwas delayed.
It's unsure where the Hallmark production, 鈥溾�� will film it's series yet but shooting is scheduled to begin this summer.
鈥淔rankly the Holy Grail for the state I think is a TV series. The town is going to be called by its actual name in the TV series. I believe the year its set in is 1904. So it鈥檚 a real positive TV series about people living in Colorado a little over 100 years ago,鈥� Zuckerman said.
The pilot episode was filmed in Alberta, Canada. But the production was lured to Colorado because of the attractive incentives package.
Although Colorado won鈥檛 have any funding left after the Hallmark TV series to offer additional incentives, Zuckerman says at least one production will be returning to the state.
The 's number one show, 鈥溾�� will be returning to Colorado for another season. The show featuring people mining Colorado鈥檚 mountains had previously received $360,000 in rebates from the state.
鈥淏ecause they鈥檝e already established the people and their mining claims, they can鈥檛 go elsewhere. So we don鈥檛 have to incentivize them so we are getting double our money鈥檚 worth,鈥� Zuckerman says.
Zuckerman says it's any other productions will film in Colorado in the 2013-2024 fiscal year without incentives. He plans to meet with Governor John Hickenlooper after the current legislative session ends to discuss increasing his departments funding for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
