Hollywood Worries Recent Fires Will Drive Productions Out of LA
By Movieguide® Contributor
The recent LA wildfires have left many in the movie and TV industry worried that productions will start moving out of California.
Hollywood has been in a slump for the past few years, starting with 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic. The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes continued the subpar conditions. Just when many thought things were finally going to pick back up again, fires ravaged the Pacific Palisades and the Pasadena/Altadena areas.
“The fires really did go through a lot of communities that are so central to housing film workers,” Jason Lester, a music video and commercial director who has worked with Hozier, Phoebe Bridgers and Sabrina Carpenter, told The Hollywood Reporter. “That can’t help but have an effect on the industry, especially in the short term.”
READ MORE: ‘WE STAND WITH YOU’: CELEBS DONATE AND VOLUNTEER AMID DEVASTATING LA WILDFIRES
Some think the fires are the tipping point that will lead to a mass exodus from LA, with entertainment industry workers moving to New York, Vancouver and Atlanta — all cities with thriving movie and TV production environments.
Others have pointed out that insurance rates are sure to skyrocket for LA productions, especially during wildfire season.
“The risk doesn’t have the same temporal limitations anymore,” Kirk Pasich, an insurance lawyer at McGuireWoods, explained. “So if there’s a production in January or February in an area susceptible to winds, the price will go up.”
However, LA’s movie and TV industry isn’t going down without a fight. Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced a proposal that would almost double California’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program, going from $330 million annually to $750 million.
“California is the entertainment capital of the world, rooted in decades of creativity, innovation, and unparalleled talent,” Gov. Newsom said in a press release. “Expanding this program will help keep production here at home, generate thousands of good-paying jobs, and strengthen the vital link between our communities and the state’s iconic film and TV industry.”
Other creatives are publicly asking for productions to come to, and stay, in LA.
“Film & Commercial Friends, One of the biggest things you can do to help our city is to shoot here,” cinematographer and director Rachel Morrison (THE MANDALORIAN, THE MORNING SHOW) posted on Instagram. “We have some of the best crews in the world who need work now more than ever. Not to mention great stages and consistent sunlight. Please push to shoot in LA whenever possible.”
Many local sets have already resumed work, from HACKS to NCIS and SUITS LA.
When asked if she thinks crew members will leave LA, union leader Lindsay Dougherty replied, “I would say quite the contrary, specifically from the members that have lost their homes in Altadena…I think they’re going to want to rebuild their community.”
READ MORE: JAY LENO ON WILDFIRE DESTRUCTION: ‘WE’LL GET THROUGH IT. WE ALWAYS DO’
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