Thursday, August 25, 2011

L.A. Mayor Vows To Help Film & TV Industry


CompanyTown -- LA Mayor Villaraigosa said he would consider taking further steps to help the local movie and TV industry, including lowering permit fees and speeding up the film permitting process.

Speaking to a small group of Hollywood producers, location managers and film industry execs Wednesday, Villaraigosa outlined a series of steps the city has taken to assist the entertainment business.

But the mayor acknowledged that the city could do more to make L.A. film-friendly as the region struggles to keep productions from choosing states that offer richer incentives to filmmakers.

The entertainment industry in Los Angeles County directly employs about 140,000 people, not including thousands more whose livelihoods are tied to the film and TV businesses.

Villaraigosa said he called the meeting with film officials to solicit their ideas on how to support the industry, not to bolster his image in Hollywood where he has sometimes been criticized for not being more hands-on in backing the industry.

LAMediaWatch.com

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