Key facts
- The Amazon Prime Video series 'Fallout' was lured to California for its second season with $25 million in tax rebates.
- The production received $42 million in tax credits for its third season.
- Producer Jonathan Nolan played a key role in lobbying for California's $750 million tax rebate program.
- Nolan stated that without the tax credits, the production would not have been feasible in California.
- The incentives are credited with helping to retain jobs for actors, writers, and craftspeople in the entertainment industry.
Producer Jonathan Nolan has lauded California's tax incentive programs for their role in attracting and retaining film and television productions, including the Amazon Prime Video series 'Fallout.' The first season of 'Fallout' was filmed in New York, but California successfully lured the production for its second season with $25 million in tax rebates. The show remained in the state for its third season, benefiting from $42 million in tax credits on a $166.3 million budget, which enabled the hiring of nearly 600 crew members and 30 actors.
Nolan was a prominent advocate for California's $750 million tax rebate initiative, even hosting state legislators on set to demonstrate the program's impact. He noted that the industry had become accustomed to shooting productions in international locations like London, Budapest, or Sydney, and that the decline in entertainment industry employment in California, which lost 17,234 jobs between 2019 and 2023 according to the Milken Institute, threatened a significant cultural institution.
"If the tax credit wasn't here, it would be a non-starter and we wouldn't be able to be here," Nolan stated, emphasizing the essential nature of the rebate in bringing productions back to the state. Actor Walton Goggins, who stars in 'Fallout,' expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work in Los Angeles and hoped the tax credits would expand to attract more production.