Amid global competition for production business, Hollywood is hurting

A backlot on the Radford Studio Center in Los Angeles is built to look like New York City. Seinfeld shot here in the 1990s. Eilish M. Nobes/Radford Studio Center hide caption toggle caption Eilish M. Nobes/Radford Studio Center On a Hollywood backlot in Los Angeles, you can find a replica New York City street — complete with a diner, a newsstand, brownstones, a bodega and a subway entrance. It’s part of the Radford Studio Center, a sprawling production hub in Studio City. In 1928, silent film actor and director Mack Sennett built the studio on what was once a lettuce ranch. Classic TV shows Gunsmoke, Gilligan’s Island and The Mary Tyler Moore Show were all made here. So was the hit 1990s TV show Seinfeld. “This stage has a ton of positive juju,” says Zach Sokoloff from Radford’s soundstage nine, where Seinfeld taped. Sokoloff is senior vice president at Hackman Capital Partners, which manages Radford Studio Center and studios around the world. Sponsor Message Riding in a studio golf cart to the backlot, Sokoloff points out the spot where the show’s famous episode “The Soup Nazi” was made. The lot is full of recognizable Seinfeld spots: “Up there, you’ve got the balcony where Jerry threw the marbled rye,” he says. Sokoloff explains that the studio built this backlot for Seinfeld in 1994, after a massive 6.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Los Angeles and destroyed much of the set. “There was trepidation about remaining in LA, so we decided to bring New York to the production, as opposed to having the production go to New York,” he says. Building a replica New York City is what it took to convince Seinfeld to stay in California, says Sokoloff. But keeping productions in the area – and even in the country – has become a challenge, at a time when film and TV production has increasingly moved elsewhere. The issue came to national attention this month, when President Trump took to Truth Social to declare, “The movie industry in America is DYING a very fast death.” He announced he would authorize a 100% tariff on movies made outside the U.S. Business Trump’s plan for movie tariffs leads to global confusion Business How a visit from actor Jon Voight led Trump to post about movie tariffs Trump’s proclamation — prompted by a visit from one of his “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, Jon Voight – shocked and confused film industries around the world. But the president quickly paused to consider the idea, saying he’d meet with industry leaders because he wanted “to make them happy.” In the days since, Voight, and fellow “ambassador” Sylvester Stallone teamed up with the Motion Picture Association and several industry unions to craft a letter urging the president to consider enacting federal tax incentives and adjusting certain tax provisions to increase film and TV production in the United States. Sponsor Message The entire episode opened a conversation about the decline of TV and movie-making — and what can be done about it. A worldwide competition for production work  According to FilmLA, which issues film permits, production still hasn’t rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic and delays triggered by the writers and actors’ strikes in 2023. Studios and streamers also aren’t ordering as many shows these days. “With less work to go around, the competition for what’s left is intensified,” says spokesman Philip Sokoloski. Most states have some sort of financial incentive for productions. So do nearly 100 countries, including Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Australia. Business Locations around the world vying for film production business Locations around the world vying for film production business Listen · 4:49 4:49 Transcript Download