LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass last week convened her inaugural Entertainment Industry Council to draw upon senior industry leaders’ expertise as she leads new efforts to support L.A’s foundational industry as it stabilizes and recovers.
“We are bringing leaders together through the Entertainment Industry Cabinet to inform solutions that will help Hollywood better reflect Los Angeles workers and make sure that the City is an advocate rather than an impediment to local film and TV production,” said Mayor Bass. “Right now, our foundational industry needs the City’s support so we will be taking further action to help keep production local and help Hollywood stabilize. I look forward to all that we can accomplish together.”
Entertainment Industry Council Members are:
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, CEO/Founder, The Gotham Group
Cookie Parker, Co-Founder and Board Member, Yes2Jobs
Charlie Rivkin, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Motion Picture Association (Arlen Valdivia, Vice President, State Government Affairs)
Karla Sayles, Deputy Director, CA Film Commission
Amy Lemisch, Studio & Production Policy, Netflix
Ri-Karlo Handy, Founder and CEO, Handy Foundation
Christina Lee Storm, Founder and CEO, ASHER XR
Ken Ziffren, Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP
Michael F. Miller, Jr. 3rd International Vice President/Department Director, Motion Picture & Television Production, IATSE
Jason Reitman, Filmmaker and Producer
Poppy Hanks, Senior Vice President of Development & Production, MACRO
Karen Stuart, Executive Director, Association of Talent Agents
Paul Audley, President, FilmLA
Yvette Estrada, Vice President of Government Affairs, NBCUniversal
Kathy Garmezy, Consultant, Entertainment Union Coalition
Under Executive Directive 4, Mayor Bass is working to eliminate barriers to business development, growth and creation. The City streamlined the permitting and inspection for 7 new studios and soundstages to open on time and on budget. More than 8 million square feet of soundstage, studios and creative space are in the pipeline.