Hollywood post–production crews are rallying behind California Governor Gavin Newsom, hopeful that he’ll sign a bill that will create a tax credit aiming to keep their jobs in-state.
Post-production work is what’s done after the cameras stop rolling, including things like visual effects, editing and sound. Workers say that their jobs in the Golden State have slowly started to slip away, heading to places like New York, Canada and elsewhere overseas due to tax incentives.
They’re hopeful that Assembly Bill 2319, which seeks to create a 35% to 50% standalone tax credit on qualified expenses that are specifically related to post-production work, will keep their jobs in Hollywood. Additionally, projects don’t have to shoot in California to apply.
“Our job is to make everything sound like it was a magic microphone in the middle of a scene that magically captured everything perfectly well,” said Diego Gat, a re-recording mixer with Signature Post in Burbank. “It just feels like the world is shrinking around us, and we’re like, ‘It’s hard.'”
He’s one of many post-production workers in the area who have seen their jobs slowly disappearing elsewhere.
“I’ve had like one or two projects go to New York based off just the tax credit alone,” said Emilie Corpuz, who also works as a re-recording mixer at Signature Post. “Even future ones that are like, ‘Oh, we just can’t match it.'”
AB 2319 was who represents Burbank and the surrounding area, which is home to one of the state’s highest concentrations of post-production workers. The bill passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support and now sits on Newsom’s desk to be passed into law
“Those post-production jobs, that work could be done here, and we could be putting our people to work,” Schultz said. “We’re simply trying to make California competitive again to keep our jobs.”
Leading the charge to get the bill passed has been the California Post Alliance, a grassroots organization formed to advocate for the post-production workforce. The president of the organization, Marielle Abaunza, was in Sacramento when the legislature voted on AB 2319.
“It was incredibly emotional, because post-production has not been part of the conversation, or at the forefront of the conversation,” Abaunza said. “Because we are felt, but we are not seen; neither is our pain, neither are our struggles.”
Originally, the desired ask for the program was $100 million, but the legislature earmarked a much smaller total of $10 million. Schultz says that while it’s not ideal, it’s progress.
“It’s a signal to the industry, more broadly, that we take it seriously; that we are not going to take these jobs for granted,” he said.
Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto the bill. If signed, the California Film Commission would establish the program. Schultz says his goal is to build on the $10 million in the years ahead, eventually reaching his original target of $100 million.
