Cast & Crew Entertainment Services has started a new division to provide government incentive-backed financing for film and television productions.

The Burbank firm has hired Deirdre Owens to head up Cast & Crew Financial Services. She will assist in providing loans for productions that are collateralized by incentives such as tax credits, rebates and grants.

Owens previously was senior vice president of finance at Grosvenor Park Media in Los Angeles.

Cast & Crew also hired Joe Bessacini as vice president of film and television production incentives at the new division.

Owens and Bessacini together bring a wealth of production finance experience, said Eric Belcher, chief executive of Cast & Crew.

“This new initiative brings their collective experience together to provide a full-service production incentive offering for studio and independent production clients alike,” Belcher said in a prepared statement.