St. Louis Film Office Draws $12 Million in Production Spending, Boosting Local Jobs and Hotels 

The St. Louis Film Office continues to put the Gateway City in the spotlight as a prime destination for film and television production. Since Missouri’s Motion Media Tax Incentive passed in 2023, the Film Office, a subset of Explore St. Louis, has supported more than 50 registered productions with combined budgets topping $12 million – work that has directly fueled local jobs, hotels and production companies.

These productions have delivered approximately 1,500 days of filming in the region, created an estimated $6 million in local wages and filled more than 2,500 hotel room nights across St. Louis City and County. Even local real estate is seeing an impact, with one feature production securing a short-term commercial office lease for $20,000. 

This year, Sony Pictures acquired Soul on Fire – the first feature film to use the new Missouri tax incentive – for a nationwide theatrical release this fall. The Film Office also convinced two feature films to choose St. Louis over Atlanta, one over Dallas and another over Los Angeles, demonstrating the city’s growing appeal as a competitive, cost-effective production hub.

Local productions over the past year have included a mix of feature films, television and documentary work:

• ABC Signature’s What Would You Do filmed locally
• The Tribeca Film Festival screened Ride or Die, also filmed locally
• Independent features Greg’s Going to Rehab, Fairlight, Rough Draft and two upcoming feature length films reflect combined budgets topping $5 million
• The moving documentary Queen of the Base was produced, telling the story of a St. Charles resident who survived Taliban captivity, aided the U.S. military and escaped Afghanistan on the final plane out in August 2021 
• Public television’s Papa Ray’s Vintage Vinyl Road Show is in production for Season 2

Beyond film crews, this wave of production has sparked local business growth supporting crew services and external funding resources, giving St. Louis a stronger competitive edge for future large-scale projects. 

“The Motion Media Tax Incentive has given St. Louis a chance to prove itself on a national stage,” said Film Office manager Kelley Hiatt. “These projects don’t just tell great stories, they create good-paying jobs, fill hotels and grow new creative businesses that keep talent here at home.”

Looking ahead, the St. Louis Film Office expects to register at least 40 new projects in the coming year, with almost half already approved for the tax incentive. Productions are projected to add another 1,000 hotel room nights and more high-quality local jobs.

For more information, visit explorestlouis.com/film and follow the St. Louis Film Office @stlouisfilmoffice.