Hollywood Calls For A Revival Of LA Productions After Devastating Wildfires.
Hollywood, long regarded as the heart of the global entertainment industry, is facing increasing competition from cities such as Atlanta, London, Toronto, and Sydney, where lower costs and attractive tax incentives have lured productions away from Los Angeles. The recent wildfires, which claimed at least 29 lives and destroyed thousands of homes, have only deepened the city’s ongoing production crisis.
Now, many within the industry are urging studios, streaming platforms, and state officials to take action by boosting local productions, providing much-needed economic relief to struggling film workers.
“The best thing the studios could do for fire relief is to bring work back for the rank-and-file LA film workers,” says Mark Worthington, a production designer whose home in Altadena was destroyed by the fires. That’s what we want.”
Mr Worthington, like many in the industry, had already been grappling with a downturn in LA’s production landscape. Due to COVID-19 disruptions, labour strikes, and the slowdown of the streaming boom, he had not set foot on an LA set in two years. Productions have increasingly sought to cut costs by moving out of California, with some even relocating internationally.
According to industry tracker ProdPro, film and television productions in the United States declined by 26% last year compared to pre-strike levels in 2022. In contrast, Australia and New Zealand saw a 14% increase in production, while the UK and Canada recorded rises of nearly 1% and 2.8%, respectively.
The shift away from LA has become evident even in high-profile projects. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, a band synonymous with Los Angeles, is the subject of a biopic currently being filmed—not in LA—but in Atlanta, Georgia, where generous tax incentives have made it a major production hub.
Before the wildfires, many local filmmakers clung to the phrase “Survive until ’25”, hoping for a turnaround in the industry’s fortunes. However, the fires have added yet another layer of devastation, both personally and professionally, for many creatives.
“It’s crushing in terms of how you see yourself as a creative individual and just as a person, and then on top of that, to have these fires,” Mr Worthington says. “This is adding a horrible other thing to pile on top of all the other difficulties we’ve faced over the last couple of years.”
As calls grow louder for studios and policymakers to reinvest in LA’s film industry, many in Hollywood hope that this moment of crisis can serve as a turning point—one that restores the city’s status as the world’s premier production hub.
