Wisconsin is finally moving to get back in the production game.

Two parallel proposals—one from Governor Tony Evers and another with bipartisan support in the Legislature—aim to reintroduce competitive film and TV tax credits and establish a long-overdue state film office. The state is currently one of just four in the U.S. without a dedicated film office and one of 13 without a tax incentive program.

Gov. Evers’ 2025–27 budget outlines the creation of the Office of Film and Creative Industries, which would serve as a centralized hub to attract productions and grow Wisconsin’s creative economy. It also proposes a 25% tax credit on qualified production costs and wages, capped at $10 million per year. Meanwhile, the bipartisan bill currently in the Legislature proposes a more aggressive 30% tax credit on both wages and expenditures—designed to keep Wisconsin competitive with top-tier incentive states like Georgia, New Mexico, and Illinois.

“If we want to be in like the top eight or so states in the country, we had to be at that 30 percent,” said Rep. David Armstrong, R-Rice Lake, the bill’s co-author.

Filmmakers and producers across Wisconsin say the time has come.

“Any studio or production company, their No. 1 factor in deciding where to film is what is the tax incentive program,” said Jeffrey Kurz of Action! Wisconsin, a statewide coalition supporting the proposals.

The state had a modest incentive program briefly in the late 2000s, but it was discontinued in 2013. Since then, producers like Kurt Ravenwood (Hundreds of Beavers) have struggled to make the case for filming locally.

“We need the tax credits to bring those people here,” Ravenwood said. “And then it’s great because they’re coming in, and they’re spending all the money that you spend on a shoot, which trickles over to hotels and restaurants and bars.”

Recent examples underscore that economic impact. The two-month Top Chef shoot in Milwaukee reportedly generated nearly $4 million in hotel night stays. The holiday film A Cherry Pie Christmas spent $600,000 over three weeks in Door County alone.

Kurz also highlighted the potential to retain talent and stop the creative brain drain. “About 500 film students graduate from UW–Milwaukee every year,” he noted. “We have a ready workforce, but because the opportunities don’t exist, they go elsewhere to live, work, and pay taxes. We want to stop the brain drain.”

Filmmaker Tim Schwagel echoed that sentiment: “It’s pretty much impossible to make a proper living doing any kind of narrative film in the state.”

If passed, either version of the proposal would provide the foundational infrastructure needed to bring scripted production back to Wisconsin. The budget plan would reestablish the state’s role in the national conversation, while the bipartisan bill’s stronger incentives could make Wisconsin a serious contender for commercial, independent, and studio-backed projects.

Whether it’s Top Chef, indie comedies, or the next prestige drama, the message is clear: producers are ready. Now it’s Wisconsin’s move.