WELCOME !

Thanks for dropping in for some hopefully great business info and on occasion some hopefully not too sarcastic comments on the state of Business Financing in Canada and what we are doing about it !

In 2004 I founded 7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL. At that time I had spent all my working life, at that time - Over 30 years in Commercial credit and lending and Canadian business financing. I believe the commercial lending landscape has drastically changed in Canada. I believe a void exists for business owners and finance managers for companies, large and small who want service, creativity, and alternatives.

Every day we strive to consistently deliver business financing that you feel meets the needs of your business. If you believe as we do that financing solutions and alternatives exist for your firm we want to talk to you. Our purpose is simple: we want to deliver the best business finance solutions for your company.



Showing posts with label film funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film funding. Show all posts

Sunday, November 20, 2011

It’s 11 O’clock – Do You Know Where Your Canadian Financing & Funding For Production Tax Credits Is? Finance Your Film Tax Incentive Now




Let Film Tax Credit Financing In Canada Get Your Project To The Top Of The Mountain

Information on financing and film funding via monetization of your production tax credit . Finance your film and digital media tax incentive for project cash flow and working capital .




When we speak to producers/owners of film, TV and digital animation projects it always seems to be late. Late in respect to getting the financing they need for their projects. That's why it's never been as important a time as now to consider film funding and financing for TV and digital animation projects via the production tax incentive offered by Canadian provincial and federal governments.

The reality is that the Canadian tax credits available to you are currently some of the best administered and most generous in the world.

Using these credits is of course a solid way to help ' cash flow' your film. And with the right assistance, team and advisors you can creatively even pre-fund the tax incentive prior to final filing; of course eliminating then waiting for your cheque from the government.

And by they way, it’s certainly not a complicated process. We liken it with clients to a simply business financing application, one of course that is supplemented with key info on your production such as a budget that clearly that will be the essence of the tax credit application.

Naturally we spoke of a key advantage of the tax credit which was the ever elusive cash flow required to complete your project. But don’t forget also that its a well worn and proven saying in any business financing that ' debt is cheaper than equity ' so we can safely say that by maximizing your tax credit component you naturally enhance and retain equity , i.e. the ownership in your project . Bottom line, why give up equity when you don’t have to with a solid alternative such as tax credit film funding. And don’t forget that applies to TV and the growing digital media projects also.

Canada seems to continue to view in a very positive manner the impact the genres of film, TV and digital media have on the overall Canadian economy. Issues such as employment and future tax revenues seem to drive the overall thinking.

Canadian tax credit financing is not that fragmented as in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Each of the provinces work closely with the federal government which promotes a solid co operative effort.

Many U.S. and other producers in both digital media and other genres are opening Canadian offices. Gaming and video has become the fastest growing segment of the industry. It used to be mainly because of the Canadian $ exchange rate, that clearly is not longer the reason. Canada, aka ' Hollywood North' has clearly evolved into a major center for film, special effects, and gaming. One studio estimated that it costs 1/5 of the expense to create a VFX Green Room in Vancouver as opposed to L.A...

And don’t forget our subject matter today, which is thanks to a guy named DAVE. Dave is the acronym for the Digital Animation Visual Effects tax credit which provides, as an example a 50% tax incentive credit on labor

Because major Canadian centers such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal have great talent pools for the industry that allows the labor portion of the tax credit to be maximized - and that’s a good thing, translating into extra cash and working capital for your projects.

In Ontario for example tax credits are actually an ' online ' process for application, with major effort having gone into streamlining the process and approval times.

To finalize and finance your tax credit you need two critical team members, a tax credit expert who can maximize your claim, as well as an experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can cash flow and finance your tax credit for the obvious benefits we have mentioned.

So, it’s getting late. Do you know where your tax credit and financing is? Speak to a Canadian Expert for film and digital animation financing of your next production.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR - STAN PROKOP

7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL

CANADIAN BUSINESS FINANCING

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/film_funding_tax_incentive_financing_production.html

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Film Finance via independent film funding and the Canadian Film Tax Credit

Getting your film funding in place. It seemed like a short project and challenge at the time! However most independent film finance becomes somewhat of a journey, and that’s of course an understatement. But the Canadian film tax credit can help you play a huge role in pulling the financing for your project together.



Call it a challenge, call it , as some have, ' tricky' or call it skill, but the monetary part of your film , tv or digital animation project becomes a huge part of the producer and owners direct efforts for successful completion of any project .

We are often amazed at how little it takes, in funding, to complete a professional project in any of our 3 entertainment genres (film, television, and digital animation). Yet even smaller budgets have huge financing challenges when you don’t have the financial backing of a major studio. Therefore your total costs of securing rights, paying actors, and actually producing the project often requires a long timeline.

Enter, at stage left, the Canadian tax credit. This is clearly the savior of many a production that is domiciled in Canada, often paying for 30- 40%, and more of a total production. We certainly not saying the rest of your financing becomes a 'cake walk ' , as the expression goes, but our clients routinely maintain that the additional equity, debt, and co production and distribution agreements are much easier to put in place when you utilize the Canadian tax credit .

Naturally the more film funding you can rise via the film tax credit in Canada, as well as debt you can arrange simply means that you are not diluting your ownership position and therefore positioning you well for any financial success on your project.

Its all about partners in business today, and film finance is no exception. By partnering financially, in the right manner, with either co production agreements or Canadian film tax incentives you are able to maintain proper ownership of your project, and that’s of course what it is all about.

Let’s circle back to the Canadian film tax credit. The credits have become increasingly more generous over the years, and apply to all Canadian provinces where you might choose to shoot, film or product your project - depending on your genre again. By properly budgeting your project in a realistic manner an experienced Canadian film financing consultant can assist you in determining the exact amount of dollar eligibility for your tax credit. The tax credit becomes a part of your financial statement filings for the specific legal entity you have created for your project.

You can then finance the credit, which is a non repayable grant/credit from the government. Naturally you can simply wait for the credit, the ' cheque is in the mail ' so the saying goes, but many of our clients choose to finance the credit as soon as they have it certified. Receiving this funding in advance often creates a huge and positive working capital injection that actually helps finance of course the cost of the film. The tax credit is in essence the collateral for the bridge loan you arrange for the film tax credit itself.

Financing and film funding utilizing your Canadian film tax credit can be accomplished in a manner of weeks, and its all about having a budget, a tax credit calculation, and a firm finance plan that identifies the other parts of your project as complete .

Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian film tax credit financing advisor as to how you can maximize your return on investment for your owners and lenders via the film tax credit in Canada. It's a cash flow 101 great strategy!

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Stan Prokop - founder of 7 Park Avenue Financial -

http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com

Originating business financing for Canadian companies , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing . In business 6 years - has completed in excess of 50 Million $$ of financing for Canadian corporations .Info re: Canadian business financing & contact details :


http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/film_funding_film_finance_film_tax.html