What will it take to attract production to Los Angeles in the wake of the fires?

Survive until 2025, they said.

They didn’t say what came next.

A week into the new year, wildfires devastated Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena, causing an estimated $250 billion in damage. For the entertainment industry, they have also disrupted production schedules, destroyed filming locations and left many workers homeless.

“It’s absolutely a setback,” says Colleen Bell, executive director of the California Film Commission. “I’m sure there are people in the entertainment industry who think this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

Los Angeles movie theater workers were already struggling to recover from the pandemic, two strikes and a sharp decline in production volume.

“People worry that the industry as we know it won’t exist in five or 10 years, and that’s really sad,” says Amy Baer, ​​executive producer of “The Apprentice.” “I hope everything doesn’t get derailed by everything we’re going through right now.”

But Bell isn’t giving up on Los Angeles just yet.

“There is a powerful spirit of community and collaboration here,” she says. “This is an absolutely difficult time, but I am confident we can build back stronger and more resilient than ever.”

So what will it take to bring production back to Los Angeles after the fires? Start by keeping permitting costs low, says Los Angeles-based location manager Danny Finn, a board member of Location Managers Guild International.

“Temporarily suspending permit fees would be a big step in the right direction,” he said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has already proposed expanding the state’s film incentives from $330 million to $700 million a year. The Motion Picture Association is pushing for additional changes that would make the program more generous and competitive with those in other states.

Film financing has become so dependent on public subsidies, both at home and abroad, that it is difficult to justify the higher cost of filming in Los Angeles without state support.

“There is a way to make this happen: The studios and the streamers and the networks are saying we’re going to do it,” Baer says. “It’s almost like a task force. You bring Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, Donna Langley and everyone together, and you say, “OK, Governor Newsom, we want to see production increase over the next six months to help this economy get back on its feet and help these people . to recover.'”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass created a film and television task force in August 2024 to slow “production leaks to other markets.” Baer says committing to Los Angeles will force productions to tighten their belts. “I don’t think it’s a bad price to pay to revive an economy that was already suffering before this calamity happened.”

Despite the high cost of filming in Los Angeles, the city enjoys many advantages. Mike Schur, who filmed “A Man on the Inside” in Los Angeles last year, notes that the city is the hub of the creative community.

“The happiest settings I find are ones where people are at home,” says Schur. “They can go home in the evening and see their family or friends or do whatever they want to do close to home. I think the benefits you get from staying at home far outweigh any minimal benefits you might get from filming in a remote location.

During the first week of the fires, permit applications fell 80%, indicating a halt to location filming, although studio work resumed relatively quickly, said Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmLA .

The Max show “Hacks” has resumed filming its fourth season in Los Angeles after a brief hiatus. One of the main filming locations, a mansion in Altadena, was destroyed in the Eaton Fire. Finn, who works on the show, says she’ll roll with the punches.

“We have no shortage of options when it comes to filming areas,” he says. “And I think since the invention of moving pictures, this place has been and will continue to be the best place in the world to shoot a movie or TV show.”

Carolyn Giardina, Marc Malkin, Michael Schneider and Jazz Tangcay contributed to this story.