New York: Tax Incentive for Shows with Women and Minorities Writers and Directors

As we well know, the film industry is one where male directors get preference and the industry is full of them. This is not just seen in India, but the world over. Yes! In Hollywood as well.

There are also a lot of discrepancies when it comes to the gender pay gap in the film industry with male film stars making a lot more money than their female counterparts. However, here’s a small win for women and minorities in New York.

The state legislature has passed a new law (21st June) which allocates up to $5 million in new tax incentives to encourage the hiring of women and people of minorities as TV writers and directors.

This bill would be separate from the state’s existing budget of $420 million for TV and film tax credits. Even though this is a definite win for women, just 5 out of 420 million dollars is still a very small percentage of the entire sum. The bill was introduced by Senator Marisol Alcantara and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo.

Neil Dudich, Eastern executive director of the Director’s Guild of America commented on the recent bill, saying, “For years the DGA has pushed the industry to change their imbalanced hiring practices — so that talent, and talent alone, is the defining factor.

By encouraging studios, networks and producers to discover the talented New York TV directors and writers that are out there in abundance, this bill can be a meaningful step forward in establishing a level playing field for all.”

The bill was backed by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) as well as the Writers Guild of America East (WGA-East). The bill is a first of its kind that links tax incentives to hiring in diversity. This bill will encourage filmmakers to tackle the imbalance in hiring practices and will help find talent across New York in an unbiased manner.

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Pic credits: Forbes

Also read: How Internet Has Changed The Way Artists Work
Read more stories by Nikhita Sanotra