California boosting incentives for soundstage development

As if demand wasn’t enough reason to build production and soundstage facilities in Los Angeles, the state is expanding its tax credit program to encourage more development.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a measure to pump another $330 million into California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

He signed the legislation at Hudson Pacific Properties’ Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. HPP last fall secured city approval to add 500,000 square feet of production space to the 16-acre property.

The measure Newsom signed — Senate Bill 144 — includes a $180 million increase in tax incentives over two years and a one time $150 million incentive for soundstage development.

California established the program in 2009, and state officials claim it has supported $18 billion in production spending.

Since the start of the pandemic, the program has provided $335 million in tax incentives for 48 productions, according to the report.

The growth of streaming platforms and consumer demand for new shows, films, and other content has driven demand for production space.

Investors like Hackman Capital Partners and HPP have amassed large portfolios of production studios in L.A. and lately institutional investors have moved into the space.
Blackstone Group bought a 49 percent stake in HPP’s Hollywood portfolio last summer.

Several new development proposals have popped up in recent months, including an Atlas Capital project in Downtown L.A. and an East End Capital project nearby in the Arts Distrct.

[LADN] — Dennis Lynch