Chicago is now becoming a top destination outside of Hollywood for the industry.

Cinespace’s Chicago Film studios has welcomed another addition to Illinois from 20th Century Fox. “Empire” is a new TV drama is in the filming stages. More than 250 people from the local film industry will be employed from this project alone.

The Cinespace studio has been home to major TV productions such as “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago PD,” as well as blockbuster films like “Transformers,” and “Divergent.” The studios, located in the Near West Side of Chicago, opened in 2011. Officials attribute $1.2 billion in economic growth and $600 million in wages for Illinois’s film industry since 2009.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn recently signed a 10-year extension of the 30 percent Illinois Film Tax Credit.

 

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