Garcetti, Budget Advocates Pitch Early Plans to Increase Production Incentives

Mayor Eric Garcetti recently told the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that, moving well beyond merely waiving fees for television pilots shot in Los Angeles, he is planning to launch a public campaign to take to Sacramento to tout the benefits of shooting locally, promise to "cut the red tape" to the loss of TV and film production in the city and aim to increase the state incentives, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On Wednesday, the Studio City Neighborhood Council learned more about the committee created by Garcetti and the city's film czar, Tom Sherak, to plan the campaign.

"We're going to interview a lot of people," said Brandon Pender, who represents Studio City on the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates. "We created a new committee for the motion picture and television industry in L.A."

Talking to different city department heads, Pender said they will find out how much revenue Los Angeles has generated in the last 12 years from production fees and see how "it can be made less cumbersome" to keep production in California, and more specifically, Los Angeles.

"We only have $100 million in state funds in incentives to do films and TV shows," Pender said, highlighting that when shows finish its pilot episode, then receive the green light to continue producing, they leave town.

Pender said they want to increase the funds available for motion picture and TV production incentives and help put together "a facilitator" to help streamline all production permits, fees and licenses.

Back at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce meeting this month, Sherak, a veteran film executive, noted they need to give the entertainment industry's blue collar workers better paying jobs.

In October, District 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian told the Studio City Neighborhood Council that in addition to working with Garcetti on waiving the fees for television pilot production, he's independently focusing organizing around the issue locally in the entertainment industry to act, as well as how to make it easier to film in L.A.

Click here to read the full THR story.