Hollywood, Please Come Home
Over the weekend, Donald Trump announced that he plans to impose a 100% tariff on all movies made outside the United States, calling foreign film productions a “national security threat.”
National security threat?
It’s no secret that Los Angeles has been hit hard these last few years. As you likely know, I work in film and television, as do most of my friends. I feel incredibly lucky to be working right now - most of my friends aren’t. Like most industries, COVID knocked us off our feet. But work was already slowing down, the industry was already changing, and before we knew it, an industry that had just dusted itself off froze again when the writers went on strike in May, with the actors joining in June. The writers settled in September, the actors settled in November.
Just like that, it was the holidays.
Then it was January, and just as we all expected to get back to work - historic wildfires tore through our town.
Bringing us together while ripping our industry further apart.
We desperately need the entertainment industry to return to Los Angeles.
But I don’t want Trump anywhere near my industry.
What Does This Tariff Mean?
No one knows! Trump doesn’t even know!
When I say I don’t want Trump anywhere my industry, I don’t just mean that I don’t want to see him at a screening or near the catering (though the idea itself is enough to make me bring lunch for the rest of my life).
I mean I don’t want his little grub hands anywhere near the already-precarious web of global film financing, tax credits, and co-productions that actually make this industry work. He’s not here to help. He’s not careful with any industry.
He’s also not clear - is he saying a movie that is being produced by an American production company but shot overseas will have 100% tariffs? Is he slapping those tariffs on a foreign film that’s being distributed here?
If you’re rightfully confused, my question is: is he saying he would put a 100% tariff on Grey’s Anatomy if it suddenly decided to film in Australia? Would that same tariff also apply to streaming rights for Schitt’s Creek, which is a Canadian production that streamers pay to play in America?
As always, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about and his lack of clarity is going to end up losing billions.
Where’s Newsom?
California is now the fourth largest economy in the world. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area is the second largest economy in the country.
Where is the governor in all of this?
On Monday night, news broke that Newsom would like to work with Trump on a $7.5 billion Hollywood tax credit. But that news broke after Trump’s Sunday post about the tariffs.
Where has Newsom been?
Oh, right - podcasting. Please, babe, leave that to me and get back to pretending you’re not running for president by doing things like… I don’t know… protecting the film industry from being bulldozed by authoritarian trade policy.
So here we are. Once again carrying the entire entertainment industry on my shoulders. I already saved* Ted Lasso, what else do you need from me?
*I just, like, talked about it a bunch. But I’m pretty sure that’s what saved it.
Don’t forget - this is also a podcast
Head to kimmoffat.com/thenews for direct links to everything related to today’s episode and post.
Also, I wrote a book that has nothing to do with news at all!
“december.” Faced with the end of a loving 22-year relationship, a young couple replays the moments that brought them to where they are now. Leaving will break her fiancé’s heart. Staying will break her own.
It’s available on Amazon, or as an ebook on Amazon or Apple Books.