Editors Guild Urges 'Critical' Need For CA Post-Production Tax Incentive
News Source
•Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:39:43 +0000
🔍 The Backstory
The Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) is urgently lobbying California lawmakers to expand the state's tax incentive offerings for film and television productions. The guild is throwing its support behind Assembly Bill 2319, which proposes a standalone post-production tax incentive between 35% to 50% that would complement the existing Film & TV Tax Credit Program.
The proposed incentive is designed to encourage productions to complete post-production work in California even when principal photography occurs elsewhere. The guild's campaign includes a dedicated section on its website, a one-sheet explaining the bill's importance, and a video in which members illustrate their struggle finding consistent work as post-production jobs increasingly flee the state to Georgia, New Mexico, and other jurisdictions with more favourable incentives.
🎯 Why It Matters
California's entertainment industry is facing an existential threat as production — and increasingly post-production — jobs migrate to other states and countries with more competitive tax incentives. Georgia has become a major production hub, while New Mexico, New York, and the UK also offer attractive packages. For California, which has historically been the spiritual and economic home of the film industry, this exodus represents a slow-motion crisis.
The Editors Guild's campaign is significant because post-production has traditionally been one of the most California-centric parts of filmmaking. If even editing, sound mixing, and visual effects — which don't require specific locations — are leaving the state, it signals a fundamental shift in the industry's geography.
The Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) is urgently lobbying California lawmakers to expand the state's tax incentive offerings for film and television productions. The guild is throwing its support behind Assembly Bill 2319, which proposes a standalone post-production tax incentive between 35% to 50% that would complement the existing Film & TV Tax Credit Program.
The proposed incentive is designed to encourage productions to complete post-production work in California even when principal photography occurs elsewhere. The guild's campaign includes a dedicated section on its website, a one-sheet explaining the bill's importance, and a video in which members illustrate their struggle finding consistent work as post-production jobs increasingly flee the state to Georgia, New Mexico, and other jurisdictions with more favourable incentives.
California's entertainment industry is facing an existential threat as production — and increasingly post-production — jobs migrate to other states and countries with more competitive tax incentives. Georgia has become a major production hub, while New Mexico, New York, and the UK also offer attractive packages. For California, which has historically been the spiritual and economic home of the film industry, this exodus represents a slow-motion crisis.
The Editors Guild's campaign is significant because post-production has traditionally been one of the most California-centric parts of filmmaking. If even editing, sound mixing, and visual effects — which don't require specific locations — are leaving the state, it signals a fundamental shift in the industry's geography.