With $1 million in incentives, Cherokee Nation plans to become hub for film and TV industry
By Michael Overall
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TULSA, Oklahoma (Tulsa World) — Describing it as a historic investment in the film and TV industry, the Cherokee Nation will begin offering up to $1 million a year for productions made within the tribe’s 14-county reservation in northeastern Oklahoma, officials announced Tuesday morning.
The cash incentives not only will bring jobs to the area, benefiting both tribal and non-tribal citizens alike, but also will lead to better representation of Native American characters on screen, said Jennifer Loren, director of the tribe’s Film Office.
“When we are represented, many times the portrayals are inaccurate or rely on harmful stereotypes,” Loren said. “And that is a big part of why we are here today” announcing the new incentive program.
Beginning March 1, the Cherokee Nation Film Office will take applications for cash rebates on qualified production expenses for movies or TV projects filmed anywhere within the tribe’s 7,000-square-mile reservation. The incentives will also offer increased funding for using Native American employees, as well as for using Native-owned businesses, officials said.
“We plan to make the Cherokee Nation a hub for filmmaking,” Loren said. “What we see is opportunity — opportunity to diversify Oklahoma’s economy.”
The Cherokee incentives will be available individually or in conjunction with similar state incentives, with the Oklahoma Film + Music Office also offering cash rebates for qualified production expenses, officials said.
Bringing more productions to northeastern Oklahoma will allow more Cherokee citizens and Oklahomans in general to “pursue their dreams in the industry” without moving out of state, said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.
“We’re creating quality jobs for our citizens and for our neighbors,” he said. “Film and television production is one of the most promising and rapidly growing industries in Oklahoma, and Cherokee Nation is determined to continue championing that growth.”
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