{"id":992789,"date":"2026-08-10T10:07:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/992789\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T10:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:07:24","slug":"netflix-says-its-committed-to-l-a-its-production-count-is-steady","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/992789\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix says it’s committed to L.A. Its production count is steady"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Netflix brought the Will Ferrell golf comedy \u201cThe Hawk\u201d to the Woodland Hills Country Club last year, it was the first big production to shoot there in more than two years.<\/p>\n

Nearly 300 cast and crew members came through the gates. The production used more than 370 local vendors and shot at 41 locations.<\/p>\n

For years, the club could count on that kind of work. Movie shoots and recurring TV shows such as \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm\u201d and \u201cSWAT\u201d helped keep members\u2019 dues down and offset repair costs. But as big productions left Los Angeles, the golf course became a backdrop mostly for commercials, magazine spreads and social media shoots.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few clubs locally won\u2019t even allow a camera on-site, let alone film crews,\u201d said Rick Stegall, the club\u2019s general manager. \u201cBut our club is very open to it. … There\u2019s just a lot of benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hawk,\u201d which debuted last month, was among 46 productions Netflix says it filmed in L.A. last year, with a similar number planned for this year.<\/p>\n

Even as the streaming giant ramps up its filming outside California, Netflix executives say L.A. remains a vital film hub for the company at a time when the city has been reeling from the exodus of film crews. On-location film shoots dropped 13% in the second quarter from a year earlier, according to FilmLA.<\/p>\n

\u201cL.A. is our home. \u2026 Our commitment is there to the city and state, and that, for me, is about showing up consistently with productions every year,\u201d Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in an interview.<\/p>\n

Like other producers, Netflix has benefited from improvements to California\u2019s tax incentive program intended to stem so-called runaway production, though Bajaria said the program is not as \u201ccomprehensive\u201d as it needs to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though we\u2019re definitely encouraged by the way California has modernized the tax incentive recently,\u201d Bajaria said. \u201cBut I still look forward to working with this next governor\u2019s administration to make sure everybody understands what we are as an industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite its commitment to filming in L.A., Netflix also has contributed to the growth of production in other states and countries offering steep tax breaks and rebates to producers.<\/p>\n

Bajaria would not say how many films and TV shows Netflix is filming outside California this year, but said the state still accounts for the largest share of productions. In 2022, Netflix told The Times it was filming 70 productions primarily in L.A. A spokesperson said recently that the figure was an estimate and that it was likely closer to 50.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Netflix expanded its production facility in New Mexico. And last year, the company began work on a $1-billion project to convert a former U.S. Army installation in New Jersey into a sprawling film complex with 12 soundstages. Netflix already has 20 projects lined up in New Jersey, Bajaria said.<\/p>\n

She said New Jersey has streamlined the filmmaking process in a way California hasn\u2019t. The California tax incentive excludes above-the-line costs and has a per-project cap, whereas New Jersey\u2019s incentive includes above-the-line costs and doesn\u2019t have a per-project cap.<\/p>\n

The tax credit in California is also harder to obtain in advance and secure, compared with that of New Jersey, which has a quick turnover, said Mike S. Ryan, a professor of producing at Emerson College.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tax credit has to get way better, and then you\u2019re also fighting the reality of the cost of living,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n

The clearest sign of Netflix\u2019s local intentions may be in Studio City. The company is under contract<\/a> to buy Radford Studio Center, the production lot where it has leased space for years. <\/p>\n

Radford\u2019s current owner, Hackman Capital Partners, defaulted on $1.1 billion of bondholder debt and turned the property over to lenders led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.<\/p>\n

The 55-acre studio, founded in 1928, features 22 stages and three backlots where iconic shows such as \u201cGunsmoke,\u201d \u201cSeinfeld\u201d and \u201cGilligan\u2019s Island\u201d were made. Bajaria would not discuss the status of the Radford deal or plans for the facility.<\/p>\n

The company is already Hollywood\u2019s biggest commercial tenant, where it rents about 1.5 million square feet of office and studio space, and it owns the historic Egyptian Theatre, which it acquired in 2020.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller in \u201cThe Lincoln Lawyer,\u201d a series set and filmed in L.A. <\/p>\n

(Lara Solanki \/ Netflix)<\/p>\n

Since 2018, Netflix says it has filmed more than 300 productions in L.A.<\/p>\n

The 2026 slate includes the thriller series \u201cThe Night Agent,\u201d another installment of Ryan Murphy\u2019s \u201cMonster\u201d and the David Fincher-directed sequel to Quentin Tarantino\u2019s \u201cOnce Upon a Time … in Hollywood.\u201d Last year\u2019s local productions included \u201cThe Hawk,\u201d the jewelry heist drama \u201cNemesis\u201d and new seasons of L.A.-centric shows such as \u201cNobody Wants This\u201d and \u201cThe Lincoln Lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside a Sunset Gower Studios soundstage in Hollywood, Mara Brock Akil, the creator behind the Netflix series \u201cForever,\u201d recently gave Bajaria a tour of the set. The lights were dark in the re-created Beverly Hills home; the rest of the crew was on location filming in Highland Park. But with sneakers strewn in the doorway and a cookbook opened to a specific recipe, the faux house felt lived in. <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Wood Harris and showrunner of \u201cForever\u201d Mara Brock Akil on set.<\/p>\n

(Elizabeth Morris \/ Netflix)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all shows on-screen and helps people understand the characters,\u201d Brock Akil said. \u201cYou are supposed to know these people.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cForever,\u201d which tells the story of two teens living on opposite sides of the 10 Freeway who fall in love, is shooting its second season locally.<\/p>\n

Productions \u201care really exploring and weaving in storylines with neighborhoods and landmarks and restaurants,\u201d Bajaria said.<\/p>\n

For the businesses that supply props, artwork and other services<\/a>, the arithmetic is simpler: Any shoot is better than none. Netflix said it worked with more than 2,900 L.A. County businesses in 2025 \u2014 equipment houses, caterers, postproduction shops \u2014 and contributed more than $400 million to the city\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

In 2025, California saw an estimated $5.5 billion in committed production spending for scripted TV and films, according to research firm ProdPro.<\/p>\n

\"Seven <\/p>\n

The cast of \u201cNemesis\u201d on set in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

(Netflix)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a lifesaver,\u201d said Tija Zamparelli Tromp, owner of Pinacoteca Picture Props in North Hollywood. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to have a company that\u2019s definitely making an effort to film again in Los Angeles. We\u2019ve had so much runaway production.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her business has rented couches, artwork and other furniture to \u201cForever\u201d and a vintage golf club mounted like a trophy to \u201cThe Hawk.\u201d She estimates sales are up 18% from last year, although she declined to give exact revenue figures.<\/p>\n

For Bajaria, the stakes are familiar. She grew up across different L.A. suburbs, in a family that owned car washes, and says she understands how delicate local economies can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember growing up in a family business, and that you really rely\u201d on the industry, she said. \u201cWe have so many talented people here who have made their livelihood making film and TV, and it\u2019s their talent and their passion. It\u2019s great when they get to sleep in their own bed and be with their families and do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Will Ferrell on the set of \u201cThe Hawk.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Colleen E Hayes)<\/p>\n

At the Woodland Hills Country Club, Stegall, the club\u2019s general manager, says a two- or three-day shoot can bring in up to six figures. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve come to rely on [the income] a bit, but it is extra,\u201d Stegall said. \u201cIt\u2019s a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Netflix brought the Will Ferrell golf comedy \u201cThe Hawk\u201d to the Woodland Hills Country Club last year,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":992790,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[398009,1582,276,2451,462,638,398011,14107,6276,398010,2961,224,5337,398012,4659,401,18904,46339,1628],"class_list":["post-992789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-bajaria","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-city","tag-club","tag-company","tag-hawk","tag-hollywood","tag-l-a","tag-l-a-last-year","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-movie-shoot","tag-netflix","tag-new-jersey","tag-production","tag-tv-show","tag-year"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117070665262673492","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=992789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/992790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=992789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=992789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=992789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}