The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced another growth year for film, television and media production in 2019. The announcement was made at Kennedy-King College’s Sound Stage – a 6,000 square foot production facility located in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. According to data from the Illinois Film Office, which awards a 30 percent tax credit to qualified productions, filming in 2019 resulted in an estimated economic impact of nearly $560 million in job creation and local expenditures, an 18 percent increase over the previous year. Over 15,000 non-extra job hires generated over $350 million in wages, with women and minorities representing 51 percent of the reported crew hires. The Chicago Film Office permitted 522 projects in 2019 and now ranks first in the Midwest region for production, third in the country for commercial advertising production and in the top six nationally for overall production.