Film industry exits Los Angeles as Hollywood employment struggles to rebound: 'It seems like it's the end now'

While Hollywood has taken a beating from the pandemic and its recent strikes, other factors could prevent it from reaching its glory days anytime soon, according to a recent report.

Los Angeles County's film and sound recording industries remain about 20% below pre-pandemic levels, hovering around 100,000, The Los Angeles Times reported Monday. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is a 30-year low when excluding the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and last year's strikes.

Although pandemic disruptions and strikes likely influenced these low numbers, lower production costs in cities like New York or Atlanta, which offer huge tax credits, also played a role. reported the LA Times, based on interviews with numerous industry insiders. In some cases, the high cost of living in Los Angeles has forced workers at the bottom to seek work in other cities and industries.

“I feel like I’m starting my business over,” said Ryan Johnson, who runs special effects company NewRuleFX. Johnson told the LA Times that he took out additional loans and credit to keep his workers employed.

Job numbers in Hollywood are at their lowest level in 30 years. (Joan Slatkin/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD RESIDENTS ARE FRUSTRATED WITH LOCAL LEADERS OVER HOMELESS ISSUE

Over the past decade, California's share of the nation's motion picture and sound recording industry has fallen from nearly 40 percent to less than 30 percent, the LA Times reported. Meanwhile, cities outside of Los Angeles have largely recovered most of their film and television jobs.

Although other cities' entertainment industries are doing better, some insiders interviewed by the LA Times believe this could be a more worrying sign for the entertainment industry.

“The very basis of what made Hollywood universally popular in the 20th century was the theatrical feature film. That seems to be ending now,” said UCLA film historian Jonathan Kuntz. “It seems the public has moved on.”

Former Disney executive Charlie Fink pointed to changing audiences, noting that “people have other things to do with their screens.”

“They prefer to spend their time on YouTube and playing video games on their phones,” he added. “That’s Hollywood’s problem.”

Experts suggest that the rising cost of living and changing industry are behind the low employment numbers. (Joshua Comins/Fox News)

The LA Times noted that new technologies and the rise of streaming services like Netflix and online platforms like YouTube have also changed the film distribution market. Although Hollywood has already seen technological changes impact the industry, experts have warned that the sheer number of additional factors is concerning.

“The bottom line here is that there are so many things happening at once that it's really hard for anyone to feel confident,” said Kevin Klowden, an economics expert at the Milken Institute. “There is a very, very real question right now on the business side, because no one is really sure about the economics.”

HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVES WARN AI STEALS JOBS BUT CANNOT DO THE WORK OF REAL ARTISTS: I WANT TO WORK WITH HUMAN BEINGS

Writers and actors have expressed concern about being replaced by AI in the future. (David McNew)

The LA Times report follows concerns about workers being replaced by artificial intelligence in Hollywood after the development of new technologies that allow screenwriting and even replication of an actor's image and likeness. AI was one of several issues that fueled the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes in the summer of 2023.

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Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @lmkornick.

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