Hollywood’s Streaming Boom Is No Bonanza for Film Workers
With the pandemic, the public is consuming more entertainment than ever, but fewer people are producing it.
That the Covid-19 pandemic has been a disaster for those who work in live entertainment is no surprise. But it’s also been devastating for those employed in movie and video production. People have been consuming the industry’s goods at record rates—mostly via streaming services—yet employment fell almost as sharply from February to May as it did in the arts, live entertainment, and recreation sector (49% vs. 52%). Through September only a third of the lost jobs had come back.
In September, Hollywood studios and industry unions announced their return-to-work agreement—with safety protocols, you’ll be happy to learn, designed in part by Contagion director Steven Soderbergh—so one would expect more hiring in the future. Still, there wasn’t much sign of that in October’s jobs numbers, which didn’t break out motion picture and video production but did show a slight employment decline for the broader industry that includes theaters. Los Angeles-area permit data shows filming activity stabilizing at about half its normal levels as of late October.