Cleveland, OH
Theatre and film industry leaders push for state bill that would bring more production, tax breaks to Ohio
CLEVELAND — It’s no secret that Playhouse Square is considered one of the crown jewels of Cleveland.
It’s the second largest theater district in the U.S.
The space drives people from near and far, all while boosting the local economy.
Now, state lawmakers and industry leaders are proposing updated legislation that would further incentivize more productions to happen in Northeast Ohio and across the Buckeye state.
Ohio Senate Bill 4 could bring a ripple effect of changes to places like Playhouse Square.
Supporters say it would make Cleveland a mecca for film and theater and open up new opportunities.
SB 4 would modify the film and theater tax credit and authorize a tax credit for capital improvement projects relating to the film and theater industries.
“Honestly, why would you not want to bring in outside investment into your community? That’s what this does,” Bill Garvey, President of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission said.
Garvey is optimistic and feels Ohio’s theater and movie scene could be taken to the next level.
The President of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission says amending Senate Bill 4 is the answer.
Playhouse Square currently is the host to 11 stages and eight resident companies, with a clear major economic impact.
However, officials say many producers have decided to shorten show runs and rehearsals because of the lack of tax credits.
“Honestly, there is so much untapped potential here in the state,” Garvey said.
The comprehensive updated bill would leverage more opportunities for film and theatrical work.
It specifically offers an incentive to build new infrastructure to further accommodate both entities.
This would include brick-and-mortar spots for production and even studios.
The incentive is up to $5 million or 25% of the total project’s cost.
“We’re turning away more business than we’re bringing in. So, we’re limited by the current $40 million cap annual, $40 million cap,” Garvey said.
Other states are reaping the benefits including Louisiana and New Jersey.
Georgia has become a new industry leader. Movies and TV shows are shot there every day.
“Georgia is the Mecca. It’s the center of the universe in Hollywood right now because of their taxes. So, they have $4.4 billion annual spending, recreation spending, production coming to that state,” Garvey said.
In the meantime, he says Ohio already has a clear, strong, skilled workforce waiting in the wings and ready to get to work.
Cleveland has successfully hosted movie and television productions in the past.
Many of the union laborers here have a skill set that covers both industries and often times their jobs are interchangeable.
The other aspect of amending the bill is expanding the tax incentive so Broadway shows could actually develop in Cleveland and Ohio before a national tour.
This would give Ohio first grabs at runs and showcase the area as an economic driver.
Over the last several months, producers have decided to take their work elsewhere.
“Playhouse Square itself is probably the largest theater district outside of New York City. It attracts a million visitors a year, contributes over $300 million in economic benefit to the state of Ohio. This makes sense,” Tony Long, General Counsel and Director of Tax and Economic Development for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce said.
Senate Bill 4 is still in the early stages.
It is currently in the Senate.
No word on when it will be up for discussion.
Stay with News 5. We will continue to track its progress.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland police investigating after swastika found inside new Sherwin Williams headquarters
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland police are investigating after a Sherwin Williams employee found a hateful symbol on the job site of the company’s new headquarters downtown.
“I was shocked that somebody would do that,” said a Sherman Williams construction worker who wanted to remain anonymous. “I’m old enough to know that there’s people like that out there, but for somebody to be that angry to want to do that to destroy property, to carve it into private or public property because it’s the way that you think, or feel is ridiculous.”
The man is just one of roughly 1,000 contractors working on the new Sherwin-Williams building. He was horrified when he discovered that someone etched a large swastika on the door of the new skyscraper’s 4th-floor elevator.
“They sent out a mass text to all the superintendents, everybody put their tools away and shut the whole job down for further investigation and called the police in,” the man explained. “The detectives came, took photos and the following day they had a safety stand to kind of inform everybody what was going on, reiterate their zero-tolerance policy of some this hate graffiti.”
Cleveland police say they got the call on Tuesday. Right now, they haven’t made any arrests but the person responsible could be charged with ethnic intimidation and vandalism.
The employee believes it had to have been done by another worker.
“There’s constantly Sherwin-Williams, corporate people, and Gilbane, safety coordinators walking around so it was pretty brazen and shocking,” he said.
It’s going to cost the company more than $5,000 to repair the elevator door.
“I think this is a good addition to the city, to the skyline and to Cleveland, and it’s a shame that something like that could cast a shadow of something good that’s happening in the city,” the employee told 19 News.
Gilbane Construction is the contractor for the project. He says he was impressed with the way Gilbane and Sherwin Williams handled the situation.
“I think it was good the way Gilbane and Sherwin-William, how serious they took it and how swift they acted and in notifying everyone that that type of display of hate is not tolerated,” the man said.
Contact Cleveland detectives if you have any information that could help identify the vandal.
19 News reached out to Sherwin Williams for a statement, but so far, we have not heard back.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Patrick Mahomes is week-to-week with a high ankle sprain | The Facility
Andy Reid on Week 15 Performance: ‘Everybody Got a Piece of the Pie’
Trent McDuffie on 1st Career Interception: ‘Right Place, Right Time’
Patrick Mahomes on Week 15 Exit: ‘I Have a lot of Trust in Carson’
Kansas City Chiefs vs Cleveland Browns – Official Postgame Show | Chiefs Rewind
Browns vs. Chiefs Postgame Recap | Cleveland Browns
Kansas City Chiefs vs Cleveland Browns Game Highlights
62-yard TD! Jerome Ford enters turbo mode on scoring scamper
JuJu Smith-Schuster dives to pylon on Chiefs’ TD score
Kansas City Chiefs vs Cleveland Browns – NFL Week 15 | Field Pass Pregame Show 🏈
Make Every Game Count! | Browns vs. Chiefs Week 15 Hype Video
Make Every Game Count! | Browns vs. Chiefs Week 15 Hype Video
Week 15: Chiefs vs Browns – Patrick Mahomes, Jameis Winston, Jerry Jeudy | Six Stats to Know
Week 15: Chiefs vs Browns – Game Preview + Predictions
‘The Next Box’ – Chiefs vs Browns Preview w/ CB Trent McDuffie | Defending The Kingdom
Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs FULL GAME
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cleveland Browns | 2024 Week 15 Game Preview
The Washington Wizards are back in Ohio for the second time this month as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at RocketMortgage Fieldhouse.
It’s the second meeting between the two teams this month after the Cavs beat the Wizards last week in Cleveland in the NBA Cup finale. Since the two teams didn’t qualify for the knockout stage, the league scheduled this matchup, which happens to be a rematch from East Group C play.
The Cavs easily handled the Wizards, who have the league’s worst record at 3-19. The Wizards lost 16 consecutive games before beating the Denver Nuggets last week, snapping the long skid.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have the league’s best record, and they will look to continue flexing their muscles and grabbing a win against the worst team in the league.
This will be a good test for the Wizards, but the team still has a lengthy injury report despite having four full days of rest since their last game. Either way, the Wizards will fight tooth and nail to try and grab the biggest upset win of the season.
Here’s a look at everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s game:
Washington Wizards
Cleveland Cavaliers
Washington Wizards
Cleveland Cavaliers
Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Beloved wild burro population in Southern California facing uncertain future
Detroit gas station shut down after another shooting allegedly involving a clerk
Tornado: Why did San Francisco get a warning, but not Scotts Valley?
Make no mistake, Dallas Cowboys’ culture hasn’t been the issue in otherwise lost season
In Miami, Dozens of High-Rises Along Water Have Been Sinking
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Biden sets record with first-term clemency grants, here's how others presidents rank
France's Le Pen hails 'positive' meeting with new PM Bayrou
Drones, Vaccine Claims and Government Cuts: Fact-Checking Trump’s First Post-Election Press Conference
Trump allies push for more White House control over Congress' purse strings
Bangladesh plans to hold elections in late 2025 or early 2026
-
Technology1 week agoStruggling to hear TV dialogue? Try these simple fixes
-
Business1 week agoOpenAI's controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood?
-
Politics3 days agoCanadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25782636/247422_ChatGPT_anniversary_CVirginia.jpg "Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT")
Technology5 days agoInside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
Technology3 days agoOpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics3 days agoU.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
Technology3 days agoMeta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Politics4 days agoConservative group debuts major ad buy in key senators' states as 'soft appeal' for Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel