The California Film Commission plays a pivotal role in maintaining California's status as the world's premier production location by providing critical support and incentives to the industry. Despite its historical dominance, though, the state faces increasing competition from other regions offering more attractive tax incentives and or comparable infrastructure at lower costs. Understanding the current state of global production and its impact on California's film and television industry is crucial for developing strategies that maintain and enhance the state's competitive edge.

CVL Economics conducted and presented an in-depth study of current trends, economic impacts, and policy implications related to the shift of production work from California to jurisdictions around the world. This project was designed to support dialogue with U.S. and California lawmakers by delivering an empirical baseline analysis and a policy development framework. In addition to examining domestic and international commissioning practices over the past five years (categorized by genre and major studio), we conducted a global competitor landscape analysis that benchmarked current policies (including tax incentives, labor laws, and trade agreements) in the United States and California against those in select regions abroad.