Launching a public education campaign to garner community and legislative support for the filmed entertainment industry has long been a goal of industry champions. FilmL.A. Board Chair Pamm Fair, who also serves as Deputy National Executive Director for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has made getting such a campaign off the ground a top priority during her tenure.
This year Los Angeles celebrates 100 years of filmmaking. Since its humble beginnings, the business of film, television and commercial production has become synonymous with Los Angeles, and entertainment is now the third largest industry in L.A. County. Because it underpins our local economy, all of us depend on a healthy film industry for our livelihoods.
Often, we as a region and state forget that filming provides jobs for our neighbors, their families and our friends. Some indirect beneficiaries — including those who decry the short-term inconveniences of filming in their neighborhoods — discount the industry’s importance to their own economic well-being.
Our leaders, too, have been divided in their willingness to take a legislative stand to defend this California-grown industry against aggressive economic competition. Accustomed to the tall tale that the industry is here to stay, the state has historically turned a blind eye to the loss of film production jobs and the income, sales and business taxes that go with them.
The aim of our public education campaign — which will incorporate outdoor advertising, PSAs, radio spots, production vehicle “wraps” and a strong internet presence — is to mobilize grassroots support for filming, while conveying the industry’s appreciation to the communities that host their productions.
