The fires that ravaged Los Angeles County earlier this year have supercharged calls to bring more production back to Southern California after a period of notable decline.
Much of this advocacy has played out on social media and in the press. On Instagram industry figures like cinematographer and director Rachel Morrison (Mudbound) and star Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious) have argued that an increase in local shoots can aid the fire recovery efforts. Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Bacon and Noah Wyle are backing the #StayinLA initiative, which has captured the attention of news outlets as it advocates for California to uncap its entertainment tax incentive program for productions in L.A. County and for studios and streamers to promise at least a 10 percent increase in local productions.
But how are behind-the-scenes efforts to bring more film and television shoots back to Hollywood going? As international president of the prominent crew union IATSE, Matthew Loeb has a unique lens on the situation. His more than 170,000-member union is backing the California governor’s proposal to significantly raise the state’s film and television tax credit cap this year, from $330 million to $750 million. It’s also, he reveals in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, considering pushing for a federal production incentive to keep more shoots in the U.S.
