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Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stay in L.A. Rally Calls for Increased Tax Incentives to Keep Production Local: ‘This Is Our Iconic Industry'
An impassioned rally to keep Los Angeles production at home and spotlight the blue-collar workers working in the film industry were the driving themes of the Stay in L.A. rally. Hosted by SirReel Studio Services, hundreds of people gathered April 6 in Sun Valley, Calif., to call attention to Gov. Newsom's proposal to increase the state film incentive to $750 million a year. Speakers including 'The Pitt' executive producer Simran Baidwan, Burbank Mayor Nikki Perez and Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur rallied support for AB 1138 and SB 630, which would hike the incentive and broaden the types of productions that qualify. More from Variety Film Workers to Rally Sunday in Support of Doubling California Tax Incentive: 'There's Been No Work' Before taking the stage, Zbur told Variety that although he feels 'grateful' for the support AB 1138 has gotten so far, he admits that it's 'sad' that rallies like Stay in L.A. have to even happen in the first place. 'The reason why we can get hundreds of people here on a Sunday afternoon is because people have seen these jobs lured away by other states,' Zbur said. 'This is our iconic industry. It defines California. We have to protect what we invented and what is ours.' Lawmakers also broached the subject of a nationwide film incentive — long a goal of the entertainment unions — instead of relying on a state-by-state patchwork to compete with other countries. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, said it is important to 'make the case' in Congress for federal subsidies. 'The World Cup is coming up. The Olympics are coming here. These are worldwide productions,' Kamlager-Dove said. 'If you want to make America great again, make America produce again. And we have to help our colleagues on the other side of the aisle impress that upon this administration.' Kamlager-Dove also put the pressure on the most privileged actors in the industry to advocate for Los Angeles. 'Oftentimes, people are thinking about the A-List celebrities – they will be OK,' she said. 'They have the influence and the power to force production to stay here. But if you don't have those exerting that kind of influence, we will see that production go to New Zealand and Mexico. And that hurts us.' Rep. Luz Rivas, a Democrat from the San Fernando Valley, noted there are a lot of 'competing priorities' for federal funding, with the wildfires recently devastating Southern California among other pressing concerns. 'I mean they're all important, right? There's just so many things that are equally important,' Rivas said. 'As legislators, we get into fights … But these are jobs and if people lose them, people are going to leave the state.' Stay in L.A. is not the only coalition fighting to increase tax incentives, with the California Production Coalition and Keep California Rolling also putting pressure on lawmakers. Pamala Buzick Kim, co-president of California United and co-founder of Stay in L.A., stressed the importance of staying competitive when location decisions are being made. 'I don't think we're trying to be the best tax incentives out of everywhere because we don't have the same economy as some of those other places,' she said. 'We have to have the tax incentives do just enough to keep us in the conversation.' The key, added Teamsters' Local 399 leader Lindsay Dougherty, is to keep on being 'aggressive' and 'militant' and not let the fight stop. 'If we lit it slip just a little bit, that's enough time and money going elsewhere to then building an infrastructure workforce outside of California,' Dougherty said. 'That's when we get into trouble.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stay in LA campaign holds rally to encourage local film production
Stay in LA, the grassroots campaign aimed at boosting film and television production in Los Angeles, held a rally in Sun Valley on Sunday to draw attention to the struggling local entertainment industry. The rally at SirReel Studio Services featured a series of speakers from across the entertainment industry as well as state and national politicians who called on state and local leaders to do more to help an industry that supports tens of thousands of workers across Southern California. "I'm here at this rally because Hollywood production is incredibly important to our local and state economy," said Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles). "This is a nationwide issue," she added. "We're competing against [countries that] are taking our business, our assets, our storytelling and hiring their crews instead of our crews, and that's not good for business here." Attended by actors, crew members, business owners, community organizers and union officials, the rally was the group's first since it launched a petition in January signed by more than 22,000. The petition called for targeted incentives and other measures to combat so-called runaway production and was signed by a number of big names, including actors Keanu Reeves and Olivia Wilde, as well as directors Rian Johnson and Patty Jenkins. "A generational pandemic shuttered production and post-production, pushed projects out of state, and left California creators—makeup artists, hair stylists, editors, and more—behind,' said Pamala Buzick Kim, a Stay in LA co-founder, in a statement. 'Now, we turn to our government—not just to listen, but to act," added Buzick Kim, a production talent rep. "To pass legislation that keeps entertainment in California, invests in our communities, and helps rebuild an industry—and a dream—at risk of disappearing." Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed doubling the state's film and TV tax credit program to $750 million a year, up from its current total of $330 million, to better compete with New York and other states and countries vying for Hollywood's business. If approved by the Legislature, the increase could take effect as early as this July and span five years. Read more: For Hollywood workers, L.A. fires are the latest setback as productions halt Stay in LA, which formed following the devastating wildfires that has further hindered production, has urged a slate of proposals to be included in the overall disaster relief efforts, such as removing tax incentive caps for productions that shoot in Los Angeles County during the next three years. Additionally, the group has advocated for lowering or eliminating local film permit fees and called on the studios and streamers to pledge that at least 10% of their productions will be in Los Angeles. Despite the end of the Hollywood labor strikes, production has yet to recover. Filming in Los Angeles has dropped 30% over the past five years, according to FilmLA, a nonprofit organization that tracks on-location shoot days in the Greater Los Angeles area. The annual sound stage occupancy rate dropped to 63% down 7% from 2023, according to a FilmLA report. The numbers remain well below the 90% average rate for sound stages between 2016 and 2022. At the same time, entertainment companies have slashed spending on productions even as many have taken advantage of lucrative tax incentives offered outside of California. Read more: California's film industry is in crisis. Can it be saved? Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stay in LA campaign holds rally to encourage local film production
Stay in LA, the grassroots campaign aimed at boosting film and television production in Los Angeles, held a rally in Sun Valley on Sunday to draw attention to the struggling local entertainment industry. The rally at SirReel Studio Services featured a series of speakers from across the entertainment industry as well as state and national politicians who called on state and local leaders to do more to help an industry that supports tens of thousands of workers across Southern California. "I'm here at this rally because Hollywood production is incredibly important to our local and state economy," said Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles). "This is a nationwide issue," she added. "We're competing against [countries that] are taking our business, our assets, our storytelling and hiring their crews instead of our crews, and that's not good for business here." Attended by actors, crew members, business owners, community organizers and union officials, the rally was the group's first since it launched a petition in January signed by more than 22,000. The petition called for targeted incentives and other measures to combat so-called runaway production and was signed by a number of big names, including actors Keanu Reeves and Olivia Wilde, as well as directors Rian Johnson and Patty Jenkins. "A generational pandemic shuttered production and post-production, pushed projects out of state, and left California creators—makeup artists, hair stylists, editors, and more—behind,' said Pamala Buzick Kim, a Stay in LA co-founder, in a statement. 'Now, we turn to our government—not just to listen, but to act," added Buzick Kim, a production talent rep. "To pass legislation that keeps entertainment in California, invests in our communities, and helps rebuild an industry—and a dream—at risk of disappearing." Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed doubling the state's film and TV tax credit program to $750 million a year, up from its current total of $330 million, to better compete with New York and other states and countries vying for Hollywood's business. If approved by the Legislature, the increase could take effect as early as this July and span five years. Read more: For Hollywood workers, L.A. fires are the latest setback as productions halt Stay in LA, which formed following the devastating wildfires that has further hindered production, has urged a slate of proposals to be included in the overall disaster relief efforts, such as removing tax incentive caps for productions that shoot in Los Angeles County during the next three years. Additionally, the group has advocated for lowering or eliminating local film permit fees and called on the studios and streamers to pledge that at least 10% of their productions will be in Los Angeles. Despite the end of the Hollywood labor strikes, production has yet to recover. Filming in Los Angeles has dropped 30% over the past five years, according to FilmLA, a nonprofit organization that tracks on-location shoot days in the Greater Los Angeles area. The annual sound stage occupancy rate dropped to 63% down 7% from 2023, according to a FilmLA report. The numbers remain well below the 90% average rate for sound stages between 2016 and 2022. At the same time, entertainment companies have slashed spending on productions even as many have taken advantage of lucrative tax incentives offered outside of California. Read more: California's film industry is in crisis. Can it be saved? Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Stay in LA campaign holds rally to encourage local film production
Stay in LA, the grassroots campaign aimed at boosting film and television production in Los Angeles, held a rally in Sun Valley on Sunday to draw attention to the struggling local entertainment industry. The rally at SirReel Studio Services featured a series of speakers from across the entertainment industry as well as state and national politicians who called on state and local leaders to do more to help an industry that supports tens of thousands of workers across Southern California. 'I'm here at this rally because Hollywood production is incredibly important to our local and state economy,' said Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles). 'This is a nationwide issue,' she added. 'We're competing against [countries that] are taking our business, our assets, our storytelling and hiring their crews instead of our crews, and that's not good for business here.' Attended by actors, crew members, business owners, community organizers and union officials, the rally was the group's first since it launched a petition in January signed by more than 22,000. The petition called for targeted incentives and other measures to combat so-called runaway production and was signed by a number of big names, including actors Keanu Reeves and Olivia Wilde, as well as directors Rian Johnson and Patty Jenkins. 'A generational pandemic shuttered production and post-production, pushed projects out of state, and left California creators—makeup artists, hair stylists, editors, and more—behind,' said Pamala Buzick Kim, a Stay in LA co-founder, in a statement. 'Now, we turn to our government—not just to listen, but to act,' added Buzick Kim, a production talent rep. 'To pass legislation that keeps entertainment in California, invests in our communities, and helps rebuild an industry—and a dream—at risk of disappearing.' Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed doubling the state's film and TV tax credit program to $750 million a year, up from its current total of $330 million, to better compete with New York and other states and countries vying for Hollywood's business. If approved by the Legislature, the increase could take effect as early as this July and span five years. Stay in LA, which formed following the devastating wildfires that has further hindered production, has urged a slate of proposals to be included in the overall disaster relief efforts, such as removing tax incentive caps for productions that shoot in Los Angeles County during the next three years. Additionally, the group has advocated for lowering or eliminating local film permit fees and called on the studios and streamers to pledge that at least 10% of their productions will be in Los Angeles. Despite the end of the Hollywood labor strikes, production has yet to recover. Filming in Los Angeles has dropped 30% over the past five years, according to FilmLA, a nonprofit organization that tracks on-location shoot days in the Greater Los Angeles area. The annual sound stage occupancy rate dropped to 63% down 7% from 2023, according to a FilmLA report. The numbers remain well below the 90% average rate for sound stages between 2016 and 2022. At the same time, entertainment companies have slashed spending on productions even as many have taken advantage of lucrative tax incentives offered outside of California.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Film Workers to Rally Sunday in Support of Doubling California Tax Incentive: ‘There's Been No Work'
Some 1,500 film and TV workers are set to rally this weekend in Los Angeles in support of restoring lost production jobs, as the industry continues to struggle with a content slowdown. Union and business leaders are pushing for legislation to more than double the California production tax incentive, and to open up the program to a wider range of projects, including sitcoms and animation. Gov. Gavin Newsom originally proposed raising the incentive from $330 million to $750 million in October, but the bill must still pass through a Legislature that is facing competing priorities. More from Variety California Lawmakers Move to Hike Film Credit to 35% for L.A. Shoots, Include Animation and Sitcoms Untitled Daniels Film, 'Community' Movie, 'Cut Off' Secure California Production Tax Credits California Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Enhance Film and TV Tax Credit 'We want to keep the pressure on all of our politicians to make sure they see this through to the end,' said Wes Bailey, CEO of SirReel Studio Services, which is hosting the rally on Sunday afternoon in Sun Valley. California is not alone in seeing a significant drop in production jobs. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, none of the nation's three largest production centers — California, New York and Georgia — has fully recovered from the decline that began even before the 2023 strikes. The downturn has hit particularly hard in California, which remains the nation's largest production hub. 'We knew back in 2022 that there was going to be a huge shift in our industry. What the studios were doing — the whole streaming wars — could not have been sustained,' said Pam Elyea, vice president of History for Hire, a prop rental company based in North Hollywood. 'What we didn't see coming was how long the bad time was going to be.' Elyea is a member of the California Production Coalition, a group of studio facilities and ancillary businesses that have partnered with the Motion Picture Association, the lobbying arm of the seven major studios. The coalition is just one of several, including California United, Keep California Rolling, and Stay in L.A. — that are urging lawmakers to help jumpstart the industry. The Stay in L.A. campaign formed after the devastating fires in January, and has called for eliminating the cap on the film incentive for three years to help aid the recovery. 'We really need to figure out what's going on here in L.A.,' said Marie Dunaway, an L.A.-based producer, who noted the business has also been battered by the pandemic and the strikes. 'It really is a moment where we are needing to get the public and the government and corporate leadership in tune in terms of the need of preserving this community in L.A.' Last week, Sen. Ben Allen and other lawmakers unveiled revisions to SB 630, the bill to hike the state incentive program. Lawmakers intend to raise the tax incentive from 20% to 35% for L.A.-based productions, with an additional 5% — or 40% total — going to productions outside of L.A. or in economically depressed parts of L.A. The bill is still in flux, as the MPA and union leaders continue to negotiate over some of the fine points. The MPA wants to eliminate the requirement that 75% of a production be filmed in California in order to qualify. The unions have pushed back on that, arguing that the incentive should be used to keep as many jobs in California as possible, and not to subsidize projects primarily filmed in other states or overseas. The California Production Coalition is also pushing to add commercials, post-production and music scoring to the incentive. 'I think we're getting close to a deal,' Allen said Friday. He said he was 'optimistic' that the expansion will be approved by the Legislature, but that it is not guaranteed. 'Global conditions are very unpredictable to say the least,' said Allen, D-Santa Monica. 'We need to do our work to make sure colleagues from around the state see the merit and the benefit.' Legislative committees have held two hearings on the bill, and heard often emotional testimony from film workers who had lost their health insurance or been forced to raid their retirement funds. 'There's been no work,' said Cecilia Hyoun, a film editor whose last job was in 2023. 'My house is in forbearance. I had two years of emergency savings. They are gone.' While lawmakers have paid tribute to the state's signature industry, some have also expressed concern about budget constraints and noted that the MPA also supports film incentives in Georgia and New York. 'How is the administration ensuring that we're not getting played?' asked Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-West Sacramento. Assemblyman Alex Lee, D-San Jose, said in an interview that the budget situation has gotten more precarious since last fall, in light of the fires and the Trump administration's actions. 'The federal government is careening us toward another recession,' he said. 'We are literally talking about, 'How do we not cut MediCal for poor people?' and 'How do we make sure school lunches are paid for?' We're in that severe of a crisis. And while we're doing all that, we're talking about doubling the size of a corporate tax break.' Rebecca Rhine, the president of the Entertainment Union Coalition, argued that the incentive helps boost tourism and strengthens communities by delivering well-paying jobs. 'We don't view this is as some sort of a gift,' said Rhine, who is also the Western executive director of the Directors Guild of America. 'We think the state gets something really valuable for this. We believe most legislators are going to land with us on this.' New York is in the process of raising its film incentive from $700 million to $800 million a year, as the nation's second-largest production locale confronts its own downturn. Georgia's incentive is not capped, but production has nevertheless declined there as well. Even some supporters of the expansion in California say more will be needed to restore robust levels of employment. 'I don't think this is going to be the solve that is the end-all-be-all for the industry,' said Pamala Buzick Kim, co-founder of Stay in L.A. 'But at least it makes us part of the conversation and more competitive.' As the unions and the studios continue to negotiate, there does not appear to be any talk of going higher than $750 million — much less eliminating the cap. 'We live in a world with parameters, and we're working within those parameters,' Rhine said. 'If there were more money we would take more money. But we're not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
