Act one. Scene one. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has committed a lot of time and energy to get Angelenos their fair share of work opportunities. One of the many initiatives of the Mayor’s “back to basics” agenda, which focuses on job creation and solving everyday problems for L.A. residents, is “Greenlight Hollywood”.
“Greenlight Hollywood” is a campaign where the City reaches out to major studios, talent agencies, managers and financiers to inform and educate the decision makers of film projects on all the film and TV tax-credit incentives taking effect this year. The state incentive program is known as AB 1839, the California Film and Television Job Retention and Promotion Act. The Act was signed on September 18, 2014 by Governor Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. and will triple the annual funding for California’s film and TV tax-credit program to $330 million. The objective is to deter and lure back the runaway production that has taken place over the years from competing states such as New York, Georgia and Louisiana and countries such as Canada and the U.K.
In addition to Greenlight Hollywood, Mayor Garcetti recently signed an executive directive to help make City Hall more film-friendly. Some tactics revealed at a March 4, 2015 press meeting were:
• Assign a film liaison within each city department.
• Introduce budget proposals to invest in city services that would encourage filming and entertainment job creation.
• Appoint Board of Public Works President, Kevin James, to serve as City Hall’s chief film liaison to work with the Mayor’s senior advisor for entertainment industry issues, Ken Ziffren.
• Each city department will coordinate with FilmLA, a not-for-profit organization that coordinates and processes permits for on-location motion picture, television and commercial production under contract around the Los Angeles region.
• Ensure all city fees are simple to understand and administer, billing is completed immediately and all city fees will be set at the lowest possible amount.
As Mayor Garcetti states, “I have no greater priority as Mayor than to protect and expand L.A.’s economy and middle class – to make sure the American dream is alive and well here in our city of angels.” He continues, “With the new film tax credit in place, we now must make sure L.A. is as film-friendly as possible by cutting red tape, coordinating city departments and investing in city services that promote entertainment job production.”
Hollywood loves a comeback story played out on the big screen. And what better way to make that movie theme a reality when it happens right here in L.A., for L.A.
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