Culver City approves stimulus package for film and TV production
Culver City has approved a $500,000 film incentive program, which Mayor Dan O’Brien calls an effort to “revitalize” production activity in the city that once billed itself as “the heart of Screenland.”
The package was championed by O’Brien, a longtime film editor who has been mayor since December 2022. The film industry aid package was approved by the Culver City Council on November 10. The package was billed as a “comprehensive set of measures designed to support the recovery of film and television” which will in turn attract businesses and boost the local economy.
“As a 30-year film professional, I believe it is critical that we find ways to reinvigorate film production efforts in Culver City,” said O’Brien. “I’m proud that our City Council is coming together to support a far-reaching part of our economy that impacts every part of our community. These steps should boost manufacturing, and I’m excited to see the results.”
It’s a comprehensive checklist for studios and production companies looking to cut costs wherever they can. The legislation includes a temporary incentive for film permit fees, free production parking, the creation of a film-specific business directory and a resolution extending the suspension of business tax collections “for touring film and television producers” through 2036. The city has set a $500,000 cap on the total incentives; they want movies to make money, but they can’t afford to lose money either.
The city is also launching an awareness campaign to highlight the incentives, as well as developing an introductory film location tour in partnership with FilmLA.
Culver City hopes the incentive money will attract new productions and preserve existing recordings. In the long term, she also hopes that these rules will support student films and small-scale projects, and provide vital support for jobs in the creative sector. Culver City was historically home to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the most prosperous and influential studio of Hollywood’s Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s. Today, Sony Pictures Entertainment is housed on the former MGM site. Amazon, Apple and Warner Bros. Discovery also have media and content operations in the area.
“The incentives announced by the City Council are a great start to reinvigorating filmmaking in Culver City,” said independent film director Dan Mirvish, who lives and works in Culver City. “Robust film communities like Culver City cannot and should not wait for the state of California to save us from runaway production. We have to save ourselves, and these incentives are definitely a good start.”
Major shifts in Hollywood, consumer tastes and the business models for movies and TV shows have led to a precipitous decline in lens activity in Los Angeles County — a situation temporarily exacerbated by January’s wildfires. The state of California expanded its film and television tax credit program this year, increasing the statewide incentives to $750 million annually through 2030.
