Council, producers and OCTFME discuss soundstage gaps, permit fees and regional partnerships to attract larger shoots

Industry witnesses and OCTFME officials used the oversight hearing to focus on two levers for attracting larger productions: incentive predictability and physical infrastructure such as a sizable soundstage.

Producer Jonathan Zurer and others told the committee that without certainty in the incentive award or local studio capacity, many productions opt to film parts of DC on location but stage interiors elsewhere. "If the studios understood that the city was committed to supporting bringing their business here, we could reverse the negative perception about working in DC and make the rebate program competitive," Zurer said. Kyle Crosby and other producers urged investment in stage infrastructure and emphasized the need to build a local crew pipeline so productions hire DC residents.

Deputy Director Herbert Niles said OCTFME is considering permit‑fee reforms (an application fee plus per‑day filming fee) phased in over several years and a proposal to remove a per‑project cap to better serve big productions while preserving access for smaller local producers. Niles said the planned fee increases would raise annual permit revenue from current ranges toward a target that more closely aligns with regional competitors while being phased to avoid "sticker shock."

Members discussed regional partnerships and re‑using or upgrading existing facilities (for example, the former BET soundstage on the campus mentioned in testimony) and asked the agency to pursue conversations with regional partners and the private owners of stage properties. OCTFME said those conversations are already underway and that development of new stage capacity is a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar investment.