Hundreds rally to bring film and TV production back to Hollywood
By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hundreds of Hollywood crew members, producers and actors on Sunday urged California legislators to increase tax incentives and enact other measures to encourage more film and TV production in and around Los Angeles.
Advocates gathered at a local sound stage to make their case to reverse the flight of production to other states.
"Make Hollywood Hollywood again," Joely Fisher, an actor and secretary-treasurer of the SAG-AFTRA actors union, said to cheers.
Costume designers, set builders, musicians, producers and business owners attended the rally. Several wore T-shirts with a quote from "The Wizard of Oz:" "There's no place like home."
Workers were hoping for a production rebound in Los Angeles after the 2023 strikes by writers and actors, but the comeback has been slow.
Gavin Newsom, California's Democratic governor, has proposed boosting the state's film and TV tax credits to $750 million a year, up from $330 million. Advocates support the expansion but also want other measures including making permitting easier.
"California needs to stop taking Hollywood for granted," said filmmaker Sarah Adina Smith, an organizer of the "Stay in LA" campaign that has pushed studios to increase their filming in the city.
"If we don't stop the bleeding, then Los Angeles is at risk of becoming Detroit," she added. "This is a great, iconic American industry, a home-grown industry, and we're losing it at an alarming rate."
Many speakers said Hollywood was filled with middle-class workers, not the wealthy celebrities that are the public face of the industry. They also noted that less production takes a toll on local businesses such as caterers and dry cleaners.
Songa Lee, a violinist who has played on film scores for the last 25 years, said work opportunities on union productions in the area had fallen from roughly 30 a year to fewer than 10.
"Musicians across the globe moved to L.A. because there was always the idea that you could actually have a decent living," she said. "As soon as the work's not here, that talent won't come here anymore, which we're beginning to see. We're losing talent."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
Jon Stewart to Los Angeles: ‘Is Your City Ever Not on Fire?'
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night's highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. Fire and I.C.E. Things have been tense for days in Los Angeles, where President Trump deployed the military in response to protests against immigration raids. Jon Stewart called the situation 'the very predictable result of a liberal city, reliant on an immigrant population, colliding with a heavy-handed MAGA migrant-trawling operation looking to hit its quota of brown Pokémen. Gotta catch 'em all!' 'Is it too much to ask to have one weekend where I don't have to Google 'when count as martial law'?' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'It's an explosive situation, on the cusp of federalism vs. states' rights, border control vs. due process, terrifyingly militarized sweeps vs. hard-working people in local communities, the United States Marines vs. the Postmates guy who brought you an egg sandwich.' — JON STEWART 'Trump's actions are shocking because this troop deployment is in defiance of the California government. Normally, the governor is in charge of the National Guard, and in Los Angeles, local and state authorities had not sought help in dealing with the protests. So nobody asked for this, and it's only going to make things worse. And in Los Angeles, there's a word for that: 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.'' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'There has been some pelting of police and I.C.E. agents with rocks and garbage. For instance, people began throwing objects at law enforcement in a protest that started when demonstrators took over the 101, though locals were quick to point out they should've taken over the 405 to the 5, saved at least 10 minutes on the road to fascism.' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'Also, if you're against property damage and protesters flying un-American flags, you guys would've hated Jan. 6.' — SETH MEYERS 'And quick question for those of you who live in that area: Is your city ever not on fire? Whether you win a basketball championship, a World Series championship, whether you have an exploding piñata gender reveal gone wrong — congratulations, it's a boy and an evacuation! — or you're just protesting the Trump administration's expanded deportation raids, L.A. continues to be our most flammable city.' — JON STEWART The Punchiest Punchlines (The Long Breakup Edition) 'Everybody's still talking about Trump's feud with Elon Musk, and apparently, Trump is considering getting rid of the Tesla that he bought a few months ago — although that's the same feeling every Tesla owner has.' — JIMMY FALLON 'Giving up the car makes sense. I mean, after a breakup, you always get rid of things that remind you of your ex.' — JIMMY FALLON 'I wouldn't worry. The dude has plenty of breakups. You know his policy — don't cry because it's over, frown because it happened.' — SETH MEYERS Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Iconic '90s Rocker, 61, Sends a Bold Political Message Amid LA ICE Protests
Iconic '90s Rocker, 61, Sends a Bold Political Message Amid LA ICE Protests originally appeared on Parade. Iconic '90s guitarist —known for playing in rock bands like Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and The Nightwatchman—sent a bold political message amid the ICE protests in Los Angeles. On Monday, June 9, the musician took to X to share photos and videos from his participation in the ongoing public demonstration. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 In one photo, Morello, 61, held a sign that read "Organize Unite Defend." He wore a black T-shirt with white lettering that said, "Destroy American Fascism" in another shot while posing with other protesters and holding a "Defend LA" poster. For yet another picture, Morello flipped the bird to the camera. The rocker also included a close-up of a shirt that read "Nazi Lives Don't Matter" in a different snap. Meanwhile, Morello explained in a video clip, "We got the cops to turn around and head back because they saw what's coming," as fellow protestors cheered all around him in the streets. The rock star also shared an illustration alongside the bold message, "In the shadow of fear, Los Angeles rises - protecting its people when the system won't." Protests broke out in and around LA on Friday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested at least 44 people, CNN reported. In the wake of President ordering the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines—despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objection—other celebrities, including Green Day frontman , have also spoken out. Next: Iconic '90s Rocker, 61, Sends a Bold Political Message Amid LA ICE Protests first appeared on Parade on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
SAG-AFTRA, video game companies reach tentative deal that would end strike
Video game performers and producers have reached a tentative contract agreement, reaching terms that could end a long strike over artificial intelligence. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the game companies came to a resolution on Monday, more than two years after their previous agreement covering interactive media expired. The deal is subject to review and approval by the SAG-AFTRA National Board and ratification by the membership in the coming weeks, the union said. Specific terms of the deal were not immediately available. Terms of a strike suspension agreement are expected to be finalized with employers soon, the union said. Until then, though, SAG-AFTRA members will remain on strike. SAG-AFTRA members must vote on whether to ratify the new contract, which covers roughly 2,600 performers doing voice-acting, performance- and motion-capture work in the video game industry. Since fall 2022, video game performers have been fighting for a new contract containing AI protections, wage increases to keep up with inflation, more rest periods and medical attention for hazardous jobs. Game actors went on strike in late July after contract talks broke down over AI. Throughout the walkout, performers demanded a deal that would require video game producers to obtain informed consent before replicating their voices, likenesses or movements with AI. During the first few months of the strike, SAG-AFTRA reached numerous side deals with individual game companies that agreed to follow the union's AI rules in exchange for a strike pardon. By Nov. 18, the labor organization announced that it had made AI pacts with the developers of 130 different video games. 'The sheer volume of companies that have signed SAG-AFTRA agreements demonstrates how reasonable those protections are,' Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the union's video game negotiating committee, said in a statement in September. While some companies earned the union's approval, others felt its wrath. Halfway through October, SAG-AFTRA added the popular computer game 'League of Legends' to its list of struck titles in an effort to punish audio company Formosa Interactive for allegedly violating terms of the walkout. SAG-AFTRA also filed an unfair labor practice charge against Formosa, which provides voice-over services to 'League of Legends,' according to the union. Formosa denied SAG-AFTRA's allegations. The biggest sticking point for actors under the umbrella of AI involved on-camera performers, whose job is often to disappear into the characters they are bringing to life. They expressed concerns that the companies' AI proposal would leave them defenseless against the technology. The game companies argued that their AI proposal already contained robust protections that would require employers to seek prior consent and pay actors fairly when cloning their performances. 'All performers need AI protections,' said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, in an interview with The Times months ago. 'Everyone's at risk, and it's not OK to carve out a set of performers and leave them out of AI protections.' This work stoppage marked SAG-AFTRA's second video game strike in less than a decade and second overall strike in roughly a year. While the walkout persisted, video game performers weren't allowed to provide any services — such as acting, singing, stunts, motion capture, background and stand-in work — to struck games. Union actors were also barred from promoting any struck projects via social media, interviews, conventions, festivals, award shows, podcast appearances and other platforms. AI was also a major sticking point during the film and TV actors' strike of 2023. That walkout culminated in a contract mandating that producers obtain consent from and compensate performers when using their digital replica.
