Goldenrod launches platform for film production incentives

The filmmaker-built platform for film and television production incentives opens in Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky with limited early access for productions in additional U.S. markets. 

Designed for filmmakers by filmmakers, Goldenrod helps film and TV producers – from indies to major studios – navigate the maze of state-wide incentive programs and empowers them to recoup the maximum qualifying incentives rebate possible.  The platform launches to serve Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky-based productions and is opening a limited national early-access program for select productions outside the state. Interested filmmakers can submit a project for review, with Goldenrod onboarding a controlled number of productions as it expands coverage across additional U.S. incentive markets. 

Multiple films that premiered at SXSW 2026 have already utilized Goldenrod during a private testing phase. The company was founded after the passage of Texas’ historic $1.5B incentives fund by a team of industry experts who have deep expertise working on the front lines of production, within film commissions, and producing their own acclaimed and nationally distributed film and television projects.

Goldenrod is a first-of-its-kind filmmaker-friendly financial dashboard that provides full picture financial clarity from start to finish on a production, granting producers transparency and peace of mind, while allowing filmmakers the freedom to focus on storytelling. Goldenrod’s founding team includes company co-founders Ted Griffis and Brandon Thomas of TBD Post. The Austin-based post production studio’s credits include Markiplier’s Iron Lung, Netflix’s The Long Game, and the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ documentary Fathom, among many other film, television and commercial projects.

“I’ve spent years producing projects in Texas, watching real money slip away because incentives compliance is genuinely hard to get right, even when you’re trying. The administrative load pulls you off set, off the creative work, and if you miss something, you’re either leaving significant dollars on the table or facing disqualification entirely” says Goldenrod co-founder and The Ranch Productions founder Russell Wayne Groves (Family Movie, Stages). That cycle is what pushed us to build Goldenrod. Think of it like TurboTax for production incentives: you focus on the work, we make sure you’re maximizing every dollar you’re entitled to, and your financiers always know exactly where things stand.” 

With Texas’s landmark $1.5 billion production fund taking effect in 2025, the state is becoming a premier destination for film and media production. The monumental Texas fund functions as a cash rebate system, versus a tax incentive, meaning real dollars flow to filmmakers much faster than through a tax-based system. Texas productions can take advantage of a maximum 31% cash rebate, and the qualifying budget level starts at $250,000, meaning that many independent productions can participate.

Beyond just a software tool, Goldenrod’s services also include incentives consulting from seasoned in-house experts, making Goldenrod an extension of the filmmaking team. Before a shoot begins, Goldenrod’s team consults on how to maximize available incentives, which may require changing locations, schedules, or other elements. Ensuring compliance with incentives requirements is paramount during production in order to recoup the most money possible for the budget. Goldenrod streamlines incentives applications, monitors compliance (and flags issues) throughout production, and packages the final submission for expedited approval and payment from the state government.