Join The Business of Creating Institute and the Writers Guild Foundation for a dynamic, interactive panel and Q&A with seasoned Entertainment professionals to uncover the world of Film and TV tax incentives. Learn how writers, filmmakers, and producers can leverage tax credits, rebates, and deductions to maximize creative output while keeping production budgets realistic.
Topics will include:
The basics of film and TV tax credits, grants, and rebates.
Best practices for applying for incentives.
Insights into popular international filming locations offering lucrative incentives.
How to monetize or transfer tax credits and why brokers are essential in the process.
How to account for tax incentives during pre-production budgeting and financing.
…and more!
Panelists include:
Nicole Ameln - President and Founder, North Star Incentives
Ricky Andres - Production Accountant & Finance Consultant, Unsolved Productions
Michael Fisk - Producer of Pangram Entertainment, former Studio Marketing Exec., and Co-Founder of The Business of Creating Institute
Luiz Ricardo Lopez - Entertainment Tax Incentives Expert and Founder, Guaraci Ventures Inc.
Moderated by Jennifer Mangan, Writer/Producer, Beautiful Day Productions and Co-Founder of The Business of Creating Institute.
This event will be held in-person at the WGAW headquarters in Los Angeles and livestreamed via Zoom. Space is limited, so RSVP today.
Doors open at 6:30pm. Event starts at 7:00pm.
If you have any questions about this event, please email us at events@wgfoundation.org.
About The Panelists
Nicole Ameln has 30 years of tax experience, 20 years entirely focused on production incentive and tax planning for the entertainment industry. Nicole has held positions at Fox Studios, Deloitte & Touche LLP, and White & Case LLP prior to establishing North Star Incentives. She earned an M.B.A. in Public Accounting from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business, as well as a J.D. from Pace University’s School of Law. In addition, Nicole has worked on independent films as a production manager and coordinator.
Ricky Andres is a Los Angeles-born Production Accountant and Production Finance Consultant currently working on a 5 part documentary for HBO titled, The Body in the Snow. Known for his work on shows such as The Bachelor, American Ninja Warrior and the reboot of Unsolved Mysteries for Netflix, these varied productions include one commonality which are productions all physically shot on location.
A Chapman Film School alumn that evolved into the world of accounting and budgeting by pure curiosity, owes a lot of credit to jumping in the business immediately after exiting the classroom. "I felt like I was still in the classroom while on my first few jobs in the business, that mindset has never left. There's so much to learn in such an evolving and exciting environment like entertainment. It's never quite boring to me, scary sometimes - but never boring.”
Luiz Ricardo Lopez is a native of Los Angeles, CA. He grew up in the Pasadena / Altadena area. He’s a film consultant and producer. An executive with over a decade of experience in Hollywood studios working for studios and production companies such as Sony TV, HBO, Happy Madison, among others. He has financial and operational experience in the various stages of a television production, especially in the design of the financial and accounting structure of productions, application of incentives for television and film at a global level. Including production planning, and distribution and marketing of the works. He knows how to get film/tv projects made and strategically distributed. He studied film/tv production and critical studies at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) where he got his MFA. Prior to that he was at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where he studied culture, performance art, and communications. He is the founder of Guaraci Ventures Inc. which consults in strategy and film and television production.