There’s plenty of conversation in the global production community about where the work is going. Right now, New York has a pretty good answer.

Production spending in the state climbed 57% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, reaching nearly $1.06 billion, while the number of projects shooting rose 19%. In the city, filming permits were up 27%, with more than 600 projects filming on public property over the summer, according to reporting by Variety’s Ethan Shanfeld.

For crews, producers, and the businesses that depend on a steady flow of work, those are encouraging numbers after several difficult years.

They also raise a question that matters well beyond New York: what’s bringing productions back?

A big part of the answer is the budget. New York’s 30% refundable production tax credit, supported by an $800 million annual allocation, has made the state more competitive. Changes introduced in 2025, including expanded support for post-production and above-the-line spending, are helping producers make the numbers work.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is one example. According to Variety, the incentive changes helped keep the production in New York. Its 46-day shoot supported more than 1,400 local cast and crew members and engaged 550 local vendors. Empire State Development puts the resulting economic activity at $67.9 million, including $45.8 million in local wages.

That’s a significant amount of work flowing through a single production—and a reminder of how many businesses have a stake in where a movie gets made.

But anyone who has put together a shoot knows that an attractive incentive is only part of the decision. You still need experienced crews, available facilities, reliable suppliers, and a workable plan for getting through the day.

New York already has deep resources in those areas. The city is now putting more emphasis on making them easier to access.

Rafael Espinal, the city’s media and entertainment commissioner, has made production support and reducing administrative hurdles priorities. A sequence for A Quiet Place Part III involving a Manhattan Bridge shutdown required coordination across multiple agencies, as well as addressing concerns from the surrounding community.

That kind of coordination matters. For a producer comparing locations, confidence that someone will answer the phone and help resolve a problem can make a real difference.

The increased activity is also reaching facilities such as Wildflower Studios in Queens, which opened in 2024 during a difficult period for the industry. Its founders tell Variety that business has accelerated following the incentive changes. Productions including The Gilded Age, American Horror Story, and the upcoming Exorcist film are adding to the city’s activity.

There’s another part of this story worth watching: smaller productions.

Commercials, music videos, and creator-led series are part of New York’s production economy, too. The city is working to simplify permitting for those projects, recognizing that a healthy production community needs work at different budgets and scales. Today’s small shoot can help someone build the experience, relationships, and business that carry them into their next project.

For the global StageRunner community, New York offers a useful example of what happens when competitive financing meets an established workforce and practical production support.

The next challenge is keeping that work consistent. A busy summer is welcome. A market where crews can plan ahead, suppliers can invest, and producers can confidently book their next project is what makes the growth last.