Welcome

Welcome to the Entertainment Issue of Business Matters!

Ta-da! This issue of Business Matters focuses on one of the most important and robust industries in the greater Los Angeles area — the Entertainment business. While most people know that major production studios are in the San Fernando Valley (SFV), they may not be aware that it is also home to other businesses that keep the industry running. From live performance venues to craft services to stage lighting, it contributes essential jobs and revenue to the Valley. While collecting stories for this issue, it became clear how critical the Entertainment industry is for our region’s economic development, retention of jobs, and the creation of new ones.

I am honored to present this issue’s welcome from the stage of LA’s oldest jazz club located right here in our beautiful San Fernando Valley – The Baked Potato Jazz Club. The Baked Potato has been the home venue for some of the greatest musicians since 1970 and is a special place for me as it’s where I attended my first live concert when I was 11 years old. I used to bug my mom and dad to take me here because the sign reads, “The Baked Potato,” and I love baked potatoes! I had no idea we would hear live music when they finally took me here. That one night led to a concert-going lifetime for me; whether here or at another live venue, The Baked Potato has influenced my music culture.

The Valley is home to many best-kept secrets. I’m excited to introduce you to the companies and individuals who fill these behind-the-scenes roles not visible to the public, including our cover feature on the award-winning post-production boutique Quest Pacifica. We were introduced to Jeff Murphy and his team when we used their facility to create the cover for the first issue of Business Matters. What a surprise to learn that this home to special effects, editing, sound, and color was less than a mile away from the Chamber office. Quest Pacifica’s services are but a few of the many support systems beyond the actors that keep the industry going strong.

Another story is the Future of Film. Creative industries were some of the hardest hit by the pandemic, with over 100,000 workers losing their jobs as film and movie productions were put on pause, live music was halted, and art galleries were shut down. Our communities rely on these jobs to maintain healthy economic growth. When jobs are created, our economy grows, so it’s crucial to expand our sound stages and build new ones to compete with other states and countries that have grown in film production and create and retain jobs in our backyard.

In our behind-the-scenes article, we interview my good friend, Leron Gubler, former president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. When Leron was running the Hollywood Chamber, he wrote a blog called “It’s All About Jobs,” and I thought, “How much can one person say about jobs?” Let me tell you, a whole helluva lot. This issue alone shines a spotlight on the many aspects of the entertainment industry, which accounts for 17% of Los Angeles County’s workforce.

I hope you find this issue as fascinating as
I do. I am so proud to be in the SFV!

CONTENTS

02  Welcome from Chamber President and CEO

03  Chamber Leadership and Staff

06  Quest Pacifica Leads the Way for Post-Production in the San Fernando Valley

12  Music, Dance and Live Theater Shine at these Famous, World-class Venues

18  Exploring some of Hollywood’s Critical Yet ‘Invisible’ Roles

26  Film Industry Brings More Than $30 billion to California, Supports 200,000+ Jobs

32  The Future of Film in LA

34  Why Join the Greater
San Fernando Valley Chamber?

35  Premier Investors

36  Member Listings

Vol. 1 | Issue 3 | Fall 2022

7120 Hayvenhurst Ave. #114

Van Nuys, California, 91406

(818) 989 - 0300

sanfernandovalleychamber.com

On The Cover: Jeff Murphy,
Co-Owner, Quest Pacifica

Video cover courtesy of:

Quest Pacifica

Special thanks to:

Photograpy & Video by Zarek

Robin Kellogg Associates

This is a MetroMedia,
A Town Square Publications Company, publication created and produced for the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce

Copyright © 2022 MetroMedia,
a company of Town Square Publications, LLC.
14300 Kenneth Rd.,
Ste. 210 Leawood, KS 66224
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www.MetroMediaPublishers.com

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication. The Chamber and MetroMedia assume no responsibility for misinformation. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the Chamber and MetroMedia is prohibited.

Managing Director | David Small

Director of Production | Katharene DeLorenzo

Pre-Production Manager | Stefanie Nugara

Senior Editor | Denise Elam

Sales Executive | Tyler Busby

Chair of the Board

Steve Rydin

True Summit Promotions

Chair Elect

Rafael De La Rosa

Vice Chair

Bryan Olson

8one8 Brewing, LLC

Vice Chair

Laine Caspi

Paratus Insurance

Vice Chair

Joshua Warner

Wells Fargo

Treasurer

Yelena Gazal, CPA

Gazal Consulting

Past Chair

Dr. Barry Leonard

Dr. Barry Leonard & Associates

Board of Directors

David Barnett

Hyatt Regency Westlake

Maria Camacho

Los Angeles Rams

Kristina Kourasis

Landegger Verano & Davis, ALC

Mark Levinson

Mark L. Levinson, Attorney at Law

Gabriela Perez

HomeStreet Bank

Patrice Quishenberry

Williams Homes

Mike Thomas

Thomas Graphics

Genevieve Towne

Kush Alley

Curtis Woods

Dignity Memorial

Team

Nancy Hoffman Vanyek, ACE

CEO

Fuyumi Hashimoto

Communications and Special Events Director

Cynthia Gilstrap

Communications Associate

Bob Austin

Sponsorships & Advertising

Jonathan Romero

Administrative Assistant

Creative Visual Effects

The One-Stop-Shop for
Post-Production

Quest Pacifica leads the way for virtual sets,
post-production and creative visual effects in
the San Fernando Valley

Jeff Murphy’s career began, as many other creatives before him, in the San Fernando Valley. He got his start at California Video, a wedding video company.

“I was editing hundreds and hundreds of wedding and Bar Mitzvah videos,” he recalled. He worked there for six years and earned national and international awards for his work.

Jeff went on to attend Columbia College Hollywood, where he earned a degree in cinema in 1998.

“I was editing everybody’s projects at school,” he said. “I just found that editing was a demand and something I was good at, so I started editing.”

He landed his first industry-paying job a few months after graduation working for Malek Akkad of the Akkad family — the creators of the “Halloween” film franchise. Looking back, this was the turning point that truly kick-started his career. He never pictured co-owning a post-production company. It just formed out of necessity with his clients.

“It started off that they wanted me for editing,” he noted. “And they’d say, ‘Do you know a good sound place?’ So, I’d refer them to sound, I’d refer them to color and digital effects. And finally, I decided, ‘I’m going to stop referring and just have those services so they can work on it in one place.’”

He began Quest Pictures, a post-production studio for editing, sound, color, and visual effects for TV and film, in 1998 with his wife Gina, who manages the graphic design and marketing divisions. At that time, the company mostly worked on independent films.

As the years went by and the clients continued to grow, Jeff and Gina added talented and trained video editors, visual effects artists, and sound mixers to the mix.

“My plan to grow the company was not just to go out and hire artists and try and build the team, but I actually went after the best that had their own teams,” he said. “I would go after a sound mixer who had all of his sound department already, and I would acquire that person, and that person came with the (entire) team.”

Jeff said he realized if he went straight to a leader, to a person who had already formed a successful team, those artists’ talent and skill were already vouched for. This method led to greater success, happier employees and clients, and a more complete, well-rounded business.

In 2013, Quest Pictures merged with Pacifica Cinema, owned by Katie Boyum, to become Quest Pacifica. At that time, Boyum was one of four female steadicam operators in the movie industry, having grown up in the camera world. She is known for her work on the 2008 film, “Taken.”

The merger brought new clientele to Quest Pacifica, including video game clients like Zumba on XBOX.

“We launched into this gaming world for quite a few years,” Jeff said. “We worked a little bit on the Call of Duty franchise, doing the visual effects and war footage and commercials.”

This eventually led Quest Pacifica to a partnership with the United States military, doing work for the Army, Airforce, Department of Defense, the Pentagon, and the CIA and FBI.

“We still currently work with them and do a lot of their production and training films and visual effects,” he said. “Right now, I would say we do TV, film, government work, and the video game industry. Kinda crazy. In one given day, we’re blowing things up and we’re working on preschool children’s programming.”

Quest Pacifica launched into the television world in 2015 when the company began working with Sid and Marty Krofft. Ever since, they’ve completed work on over 400 episodes of television. Some of their most well-known projects include “Blippi’s Treehouse” for Amazon Prime and “Ryan’s Mystery Playdate” for Nickelodeon.

“Right now, we’re Nickelodeon’s post-house; we do most of the work for Nickelodeon,” Jeff said.

About five years ago, the company began investing in special effects. This led them to a very lucrative and large industry of visual effects for television.

“We’re working with NBC, Universal, Netflix, Amazon, and Nickelodeon doing visual effects,” he said. “It’s actually a very large part of our company now.”

Jeff considers Quest Pacifica a “one-stop shop” for post-production.

“Everything that’s needed the moment they film something on set, it comes to Quest and Quest finishes it and delivers it to the network,” he said.

The biggest turning point in Jeff’s career came in 2021 when he got word that Quest Pacifica ranked no. 1157 on Inc. 5000’s list of fastest-growing companies. In 2022, they landed the 585th spot, seeing an 800% increase from the year prior. What began with two people had grown to 57.

“When that happened, that was a shock but also we took a step back and said, ‘I can’t believe we built a team and a company,’” he said.

Much of the growth happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quest Pacifica was in more demand than ever before.

“When COVID-19 happened in March of 2020, we immediately went remote and had all our employees with computers ready to handle the workload from the networks,” he said. “I got phone calls that next Monday from the networks saying, ‘Are you open and able to deliver content?’”

The company ended up landing a couple of extra clients like Disney and NBC Universal because of their flexibility and quick thinking.

“When COVID-19 hit, we had 15 employees, and now we’re at 57,” he said. “During the pandemic, everybody was watching TV and watching online streaming, so the need for content was moving way too fast for the amount of production that was being filmed … our workload became bigger, faster, and in a very quick demand.”

The pandemic also led Quest Pacifica to build virtual production sets, creating full worlds and sets that TV shows and movies can virtually interact in.

“It just became a new type of production,” he said. “Motion pictures are going into virtual productions — a lot of the success of ‘The Mandalorian’ and shows like that — puts out into the world that virtual production can be done and is just as good for the audience.”

Jeff said the production industry continues to grow in California and the San Fernando Valley. He hopes to see it continue to lead the nation in the film industry.

“I’ve always been an advocate for keeping production here in California, and in L.A.,” he said. “My company has always been in Los Angeles, and currently, production is growing very fast. A lot of people don’t want to travel because of the pandemic. A lot of crew members just want to stay here and be local.”

Jeff said staying local has been cost-effective for many.

“In Santa Clarita, there are over 40 soundstages and they’re fully booked every day,” he said.

A member of the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce, Jeff said he’s a big supporter of local businesses and the community around him. His parents ran the North Hills Jaycees when he was growing up, and he helped out with projects like the Jaycees Factory of Nightmares.

“I’m very eager to work on a lot of projects and help the local businesses stay in L.A. and give the support they need to help them,” he said.

In the future, he hopes to see Quest Pacifica remain in the San Fernando Valley. As the industry continues to evolve with new technology, he sees the company moving into the direction of virtual production, higher-end visual effects and larger post-production capabilities that service entire products from start to finish in-post.

“My goal has always been to keep my employees working and keep them having a normal daily life,” he said. “We’re one of the only post-houses I’m aware of that opens at nine and closes at five. We’re not pushing our employees into overtime, and a lot of that has to do with time management and how to properly schedule.”

Jeff said the entertainment industry is notorious for 16 to 18-hour days where people do not get to see their families.

“It’s very important that everyone that works at Quest has a family life and is able to go out, see movies, go to the beach, go out to dinner, and be with their families,” he said. “I find that I get better efficiency, better production and better morale with all of our team members when we do decent, normal hours.”

Most of all, Jeff lives by the saying, “You are your own work of art.” He’s been repeating that mantra since he first heard it in high school.

“It always pops in my mind,” he said. “As I am an artist, I’m also a business owner, a producer, and I work for the LA Kings doing the video replay system. I teach, I’m a professor at LA Valley College teaching editing and visual effects. And all of these things, the way I juggle it in my brain and in my mind, is that I love creative differences.”

Working in the movie industry, every day brings with it something new and exciting.

“That creative stimulation is what keeps me going,” he said. In the fall, I put on a Halloween maze for a local school charity, and I spend two months building the mazes. We see thousands of kids and family go through it, and the schools are able to raise more than $10,000. Those are the creative things that just keep me going.”

Some of the biggest moments in his career, like taking home an Emmy for producing “The Bay” on Amazon Prime, pale in comparison to the fact that his employees are happy, and his children have grown up on sets with him.

“They’ve been extras in some of the TV shows we’ve worked on,” he said. “It’s great when I’m able to involve my family, so I don’t feel separate or alone; they’re always a part of it.”

To learn more about Quest Pacifica, visit questpacifica.com.

The Best of the Best

Music, Dance, and live theater shine at
these famous, world-class venues

By Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller

From iconic music venues to world-renowned dance studios, the Greater San Fernando Valley is home to a plethora of arts and entertainment options. Here’s a closer look at a few of the notable establishments.

At 52-years-old, The Baked Potato is the oldest jazz club in Los Angeles. Opened in 1970 by Grammy-nominated artist and member of the famed Wrecking Crew, Don Randi, the club continues to serve as a home away from home for a multitude of musicians.

Operated by Randi’s son, Justin, the club offers a variety of live music from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., every day. The kitchen continuously churns out the club’s signature dish — large baked potatoes stuffed with a variety of toppings.

Through riots, earthquakes, and even the COVID-19 pandemic, The Baked Potato has survived, providing music for jazz lovers in many forms.

Innovation, thanks to the pandemic, means Justin now has a library full of digital recordings — enough to launch his own subscription-based streaming concert channel later this year. Patrons can sit inside for concerts or view the stage from the patio thanks to the live-streaming system.

Tickets can now be purchased online, and concerts take place at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. each night.

While some things have changed, Justin said much remains as it did when The Baked Potato opened its doors in 1970.

Considered a “date place,” the 100-person capacity club provides an intimate setting to hear musicians play their craft. The club’s walls are lined with pictures and posters highlighting some of the many musicians who have played on its stage throughout the years.

“There’s nothing like it anywhere else,” Justin said. “People who can play at much bigger places, still play here.”

Many musicians, like Stephen Lee Bruner aka Thundercat, got their start playing at The Baked Potato. Others like Danny Carey, drummer with Tool, play at the club in order to expand their musical horizons.

“It’s an awe-striking experience to be here,” Justin said. “People tend to leave floating out of here. We throw a party here every day.”

Looking ahead to 2023, Justin plans to keep doing what The Baked Potato does best — provide a variety of jazz music every night for his patrons.

For more information, visit www.thebakedpotato.com or call 818-980-1615. Additional information may be found on Facebook @thebakedpotato; Instagram @bakedpotatojazzclub; and Twitter @BakedPotatoJazz.

The Baked Potato Fun Facts

The Baked Potato is considered a “musicians club” according to Justin Randi. Musicians like his father, Don, would find their way to the club’s stage in order to play their own music. The club became the “place to play” for musicians of all ages. A recent month’s line-up featured musicians with a collective 28 Grammys.

Some famous faces who’ve performed at The Baked Potato include:

• Joe Bonamassa — who began his career by opening for BB King at the age of 12.

• Mike Stern — who played with legend Miles Davis.

• Larry Carlton — with Steely Dan.

• Saul Hudson, better known as Slash — guitarist with Guns N’ Roses.

From Justin Timberlake to Britney Spears; Janet Jackson to P. Diddy; Usher to Jennifer Lopez; and Christina Aguilera to Beyoncé, a multitude of stars have called The Millennium Dance Complex home.

Known throughout the world as a premiere studio for the commercial dance industry, MDC’s A-list clientele and faculty are some of the most sought-after dancers and choreographers in the world.

The studio began 31 years ago when AnnMarie Hudson began her venture under the Moro Landis name. In 2000, she added the name Millennium, and the rest, shall we say, was history.

With a 10,000-square-foot facility and two additional buildings with just as much space, Hudson is able to house a variety of dance forms, establishing an “extremely creative environment” where artists of all styles can interact together on a daily basis.

“I love that it is a worldwide student body,” Hudson said. “From the Los Angeles professional dancers to dancers who want to become professionals worldwide. We are a dance destination for those who visit or relocate here to train with our instructors, who are among the foremost choreographers in the world.”

Hudson journeyed to Studio City from New York City, where she pursued dance and was a manager at a couple of prominent dance centers in Manhattan.

“I found that I preferred the business of running a dance center and facilitating the exposure to A-1 level dance to the students,” she said. “I created a system where the choreographers were able to come in and out of teaching as their tour and professional careers permitted. Thus, allowing the students to benefit and be ensured from these choreographers who otherwise are unable to commit to teaching in one place every week. Top choreographers, in general, love to pass other knowledge and inspire the next generation … after all, it was once them.”

With a motto of “Love all, Serve all, Dance More,” the atmosphere at Millennium Dance Complex is designed to give artists a place where all cultures are embraced.

Millennium is the oldest venue of its kind on the West Coast. Most classes are on the fast side, and they are more of a “big city polishing school to a good dance” rather than a traditional school with children’s classes.

“You get a glimpse into what it’s like to contour and work professionally,” Hudson said. “It’s exciting no matter who you are. Many adults like the creative buzz and come to the handful of entry-level classes we have.”

Ultimately, Hudson said, the complex is designed to ensure and support its legacy as a place where dance creators can share their art and expertise.

“We are honored to be that stable place they can always call home,” she said.

For more information, visit www.millenniumdancecomplex.com or call 818-753-5081. Additional information may be found on Facebook @millenniumdancecomplex; Instagram @mdcdance; and Twitter @dancemillennium.

The Millennium Dance Complex
Fun Facts

• While Millennium hosts a variety of competitive classes, hip-hop is the studio’s “bread and butter.”

• Some of the hip-hop artists who promote AnnMarie Hudson’s “good people, good vibe and pure talent — even if they’re a nobody off a bus” criteria include then 12-year-old Wade Robson, w
The Soraya

At the heart of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley sits the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts.

Known as the Soraya, this mecca of music and culture is found on the campus of California State University.

For more than 10 years, The Soraya’s management has strived to continue a “vigorous commitment to innovating, exceling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA’s many distinctive communities” as well as feature new and original work from regional and international artists.

The theatre opened in 2011 and has 1,700 seats. Kara Hill served as the lead design architect with HGA Architects. The venue, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times, is “a growing hub for live music, dance, drama, and other cultural events.”

The 2022-23 season features nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family, and international events — all designed to establish The Soraya as one of the top arts companies in Southern California that uplifts and inspires its audiences.

“Since its opening, The Soraya has embraced its identity as a force for innovation and creativity. It continues to shape the future of the performing arts — not only here in the San Fernando Valley, but across the country and around the globe through its virtual capabilities that unite audiences beyond the confines of time and place,” explained Dr. Erika D. Beck, president of California State University Northridge. “I am so very proud to be a part of an academic community that is committed to the advancement of the arts as an essential part of inclusive excellence.

“The Soraya reinforces the power of our diverse programming to build new audiences and engage communities in the most inclusive sense of the word, and as we commemorate The Soraya’s first decade, we can be sure that the next will be just as magical.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, those interested may visit www.thesoraya.org or call 818-677-3000. Additional information may be found on Facebook TheSorayaStage, Instagram @TheSorayaStage, and Twitter @TheSorayaStage.

The Soraya Fun Facts

• Some of the artists who have graced The Soraya’s stage include Megan Hilty, Broadway actress; Jason Moran, artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center; Joshua Hill, award-winning violinist; Taylor McFerrin, musician, producer, and DJ; and Rosanne Cash, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and author. Read more about life at The Soraya at
www.thesoraya.org/blog.

• Vincent “Vin” Edward Scully, the great American sportscaster who spent 67 seasons calling games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, recorded the pre-show welcome note for The Soraya.

Since its dedication on June 17, 1951, The Starlight Bowl continues to provide a variety of musical entertainment in an outdoor amphitheater tucked in the Verdugo Mountains overlooking the city of Burbank.

Originally built to seat 2,500 people, the expanded capacity now reaches crowds of 3,800, all while retaining the intimate concert experience for every seat in the house. In fact, many concert-goers often remark on how the venue is the perfect size to house a good-sized crowd, while not feeling overcrowded or too far away from the stage.

The location is one of Southern California’s premier outdoor concert venues. While construction began on the bowl in July 1950, a story in the Los Angeles Times noted that the previous unimproved space served as a “natural amphitheater with good acoustics created by curving mountain slopes.”

In the 1930s, the area often hosted Easter sunrise services. In the 1940s, the Burbank Symphony Orchestra hosted a concert series there.

Designed by architect E. Dean Crowley, an executive of the Burbank Symphony Orchestra Association, the amphitheater known as the Burbank Starlight Theatre cost a reported $175,000.

Each summer, kicking off with the annual Fourth of July concert and fireworks display, officials with the City of Burbank host a Summer Concert series featuring six concerts. The 2022 season included The Company Men, The Fab Four, and Yachtley Crew .

City officials work with private promoters to offer special engagements in addition to City concerts. The Starlight Bowl welcomed Ramon Ayala, Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlán, Thomas Anders, and Common this past season to name a few.

“We would love for our patrons to leave a concert having enjoyed an entertaining show under the stars with their whole family,” explained Bryce Burton, recreation coordinator. “With Starlight Bowl being a family-friendly venue, we encourage visitors of all ages to come and enjoy a live concert.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit starlightbowl.com or itsmyseat.com. Season tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis with a priority renewal process for current season ticket holders. Tickets for special engagements are sold separately. Additional information may be found by calling 818-238-5397 or by visiting Facebook @starlightbowl, Instagram @starlightbowlburbankl, and Twitter @starlightbowl.

The Starlight Bowl Fun Facts

• Throughout the amphitheater’s 70-plus-year history, acts such as Berlin, Smash Mouth, Blue Oyster Cult, Pat Benatar, Kenny Loggins, Rick Springfield, The Commodores, Ozomatli, The Gin Blossoms, Common, and more have graced its stage.

• There’s no better place to enjoy fireworks every Fourth of July than the Starlight Bowl. Fireworks are set off in a lot right below the venue, creating a unique and up-close experience.

Behind the Scenes of the Entertainment Industry

Exploring some of Hollywood’s critical yet ‘invisible’ roles

By Marc Sheforgen

There are more than 2,700 stars along Hollywood’s iconic Walk of Fame. And the man who presided over at least 600 of those induction ceremonies said that no stars would be born without a massive community of behind-the-scenes workers that the public would likely never consider.

“Without question, the public has no idea what happens behind the scenes to make movies, television, videos, and recordings happen,” said Leron Gubler, former president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the organization in charge of the Walk of Fame selections and induction ceremonies. “Those are all the jobs that make Hollywood happen and keep our economy in Los Angeles going.”

Think of Los Angeles’s entertainment industry as its own very large city. All of the jobs you’d find in any major metropolis apply here, too — and then some. Hair and makeup artists, graphic designers, photographers, construction workers, paramedics, chefs, servers, IT specialists, drivers, salespeople, marketers, accountants, customer service reps, and every other job you can think of are all part of any single Hollywood production. You might be aware of the role a director, producer, or camera operator plays in a production, but there is an array of less-recognized but just-as-critical jobs you may never think about.

“It takes a village to create these shows that we see on television, and I don’t think the viewing public knows how many different roles are involved,” said Eric van der Werff, who as vice president of photography for NBCUniversal Television, Streaming & Universal Studio Group oversees the photography assets used to support and promote the company’s productions. “I mean, from the environmental health and safety department to music services that clear all of the music used in our productions to the special effects side and all of the people who create the sets. It’s just amazing how many careers are within this beyond just the actors and actresses.”

Part of that behind-the-scenes work includes making the celebrities we watch on screen look as glamorous as we might assume they are in real life.

“There’s so much that is invisible to the public,” van der Werff said. “We see these actors come in every day without their hair and makeup. When they go through the process and come out for their photoshoot, it’s truly amazing. Somebody off the street, if they got run through hair and makeup, they could look just as stunning.”

It’s not always beauty that hair and makeup artists are trying to achieve. Jennifer Brofer is a freelance makeup artist who works in both beautification and special effects. One of her jobs is at Six Flags Magic Mountain’s seasonal Fright Fest, where she uses prosthetic makeup to turn ordinary people into what the company calls “scare actors.” Her job includes gluing a foam latex prosthetic to the actor’s face and then applying paints and airbrush makeup to the prosthetic.

“We go from having a regular person to having a ghoul, a monster,” Brofer said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

For this season’s Fright Fest, Brofer is working with a new clown character named “the Dokter,” whose makeup includes a white face with black around the blackened eyes, scary teeth, glow-in the dark contact lenses that glow in the dark, and a light-up stethoscope.

“He turns out looking really, really scary,” Brofer said.

While the glory may go to the on-screen or in-person talent, Will Kelso, an associate producer for KTLA, said that behind-the-scenes workers often are just as excited when a production goes as planned.

In movies, scenes are created and filmed with audio added later so that everything syncs up perfectly. In the news productions that Kelso helps to create, they usually don’t have that luxury. Instead, the anchor is reading a script and the accompanying images will hopefully time out correctly to support the narrative.

“We have to guess what the tempo of the anchor’s delivery will be and then create the video cut from that,” Kelso explained. “So, one of the greater joys is when it does hit the airwaves and the timing of your video cuts pair exactly with the speed the anchor is reading. So, you do get more of an immediate sense of satisfaction from a creative standpoint.”

The same goes for Bofer who said that she loves walking around the Six Flags park and seeing the patrons’ reactions to the characters she helped create.

And van der Werff said he and his team take immense pride in seeing one of their promotional photos included on something like the cover of a major magazine.

Gubler, having worked with so many of the biggest stars as part of their Walk of Fame inductions, said that while the public may be unaware of the work being done behind the scenes, the stars themselves are very aware and most are appreciative.

Gubler wrote a book, available on Amazon, entitled, “The Walk of Dreams: Finding Fame in Hollywood (Or Wherever Life Leads)” that details some of the most inspiring acceptance speeches delivered through the years. One common theme, he said, is the gratitude expressed by the stars for all of the behind-the-scenes support.

“The celebrities depend on all of these behind-the-scenes people,” Gubler said. “Michael Douglas, for example, said, ‘I know that for every one of these stars in front of the camera there was an army of men and women behind the camera supporting them … To all of them, I am forever grateful for what they did and what they do. I stand on the shoulders of people whose names you know and on the shoulders of people whose names you don’t know.’”

Studios and the Economy

‘A Catalyst for Economic Development’

Film industry brings more than $30 billion to California, supports more than 200,000 jobs

The world knows Hollywood — the “show-business capital of the world.”

But what Angelenos have long known is that the heart of the entertainment industry actually lies within the nearly 350-square-mile perimeter of the San Fernando Valley.

It is here, in the “Valley of the Stars,” that the biggest names in entertainment — Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, and DreamWorks Animation — call home, and where Radford Studio Center (formerly CBS Studio Center) is the namesake of the Studio City neighborhood.

And it is the San Fernando Valley that pumps tens of billions of dollars into California’s economy each year.

While the Valley’s population of 1.8 million is equivalent to major cities across the nation, it’s actually considered a suburb of L.A. and is home to five dynamic cities — Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Los Angeles, and San Fernando.

Technically, it’s the much smaller Studio Zone — also known as the thirty-mile zone (TMZ) — where most of the action takes place when it comes to the entertainment industry. Within that radius, you can find filming locations, studios, production facilities, and ancillary suppliers, as well as a concentration of skilled entertainment personnel.

The entertainment industry is a catalyst for economic development because it supports thousands of service and supply industries such as advertising, print media, makeup, costumes, craft talent, and craft services. It hosts events, parties, and award shows that support theaters, hotels, restaurants, catering, apparel, and flower shops.

Estimates show the film industry brings more than $30 billion to the State of California and supports more than 200,000 jobs in the Los Angeles area. In addition, it brings in more than $100 billion in tourism, as tourists from all over the world flock to Southern California to visit Hollywood, Universal Studios, Disneyland, and many other film-related attractions.

But it hasn’t always been easy sailing.

Many states and countries began competing with Southern California by providing lucrative incentives and tax credits. Suddenly places like Vancouver and Toronto, Georgia, North Carolina, and the U.K. became popular filming locations.

To lure productions back to Los Angeles, the state of California enacted the Film and Television Tax Credit 2.0 in 2015, allocating $330 million per year in tax credits to fight “runaway production” and grow film/TV production-related employment and spending across the state. It had such a positive and immediate impact that the state bolstered the program in July with an additional $180 million in incentives.

A recent analysis by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation found the tax credit generated a total of $21.9 billion in economic output and $961.5 million in state and local tax revenue from 2015 – 2020, meaning that for every $1 invested, $24 was generated in economic activity.

“The success of this program is not only the jobs created and retained, but the economic engine it provides to other businesses throughout the region and the state,” said Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to the governor and director of the Office of Business and Economic Development. The LAEDC report, she said, shows how much the entertainment industry means to California’s economy “and why we’re so committed to this critical industry here in our state.”

Melissa Patack, vice president and senior counsel, state government affairs for the Motion Picture Association, said the state’s film and television tax credit was crucial to the studios. The MPA represents the major studios, including three in the San Fernando Valley: Disney, Universal, and Warner Brothers.

The Motion Picture Association doesn’t break the economic impact down by region or area but estimates that the motion picture and television industry in California is directly responsible for more than 186,720 jobs and $30 billion in wages. Of those jobs, 115,900 of them are related to production, including local productions such as broadcasting, as well as any major studio production. The remaining 70,820 jobs are related to distributing movies, television, and other video content to consumers.

In addition, nearly 570,000 jobs are indirectly related to the entertainment industry, including the impact on local vendors and other businesses.

“When we talk about how much the film industry generates for the economy, we’re talking about direct spending — renting the camera equipment, caterers, props,” Patack said. “But there’s also the indirect spending — restaurants, hotels, tourism. While we don’t know the exact breakdown, obviously the San Fernando Valley is a huge driver of that economic impact, with the number of studios it has as well as the number of people in the entertainment industry who live there.”

A Growing Industry

The Future of Film in Los Angeles

Film industry sees huge expansion of streaming services, TV; need for additional sound stages grows

By Marie Leech

Generally, when people outside of Los Angeles think about L.A., the Hollywood sign becomes the backdrop to an image of a glamorous city filled with movie stars, blockbuster film production companies, and a life of extravagance.

That image comes with the territory when you’re known as the entertainment capital of the world, but what Angelenos — those who actually live in Los Angeles — know is that the glamorous days of Old Hollywood have come and gone.

They’ve made way for a newer version of Hollywood — one in which streaming services and their demand for content have all but replaced feature films as the production mainstay in Los Angeles, says Paul Audley, president of Film LA.

“We’ve lost that sense of ‘big blockbuster’ movie production as major feature film companies have left Los Angeles to film in other cities and countries,” Audley said. “What we’re seeing now is a huge expansion of all these streaming services [that] are constantly demanding new content. We’ve become heavily dependent on television, including unscripted and episodic television.”

For years now, productions have turned to shooting outside of California to take advantage of more generous tax incentives. Places like Georgia, Canada, and Great Britain have seen tremendous growth in film production, as Los Angeles has been on a steady decline, Audley said.

Without the California Film Tax Credit program, things could’ve been worse for the feature film industry, he said.

California bolstered the Film and Television Tax Credit program in July with an additional $180 million in incentives on top of the $330 million already earmarked for the industry. Part of the program is geared specifically toward incentivizing TV productions to relocate to California.

The program had an immediate impact, Audley said, and television filled the gap that the flight of feature-film shoots left.

Now the greatest issue impacting the future of filming in L.A. is the severe shortage of sound stage space, he said.

“Our sound stages are all booked and at capacity — we have a lot of production companies in temporary stages in and around L.A.,” Audley said. And while it’s a great problem to have, the reality is that major sound stages are bursting at the seams while other cities, such as Toronto, are in the midst of building larger, state-of-the-art stages that could add some major competition, he said.

Several new sound stages are planned for Los Angeles, but just two are currently under construction — Sylmar Studios, which will have 12 stages, and Sunset Glenoaks in Sun Valley, which will have seven stages. The other projects are still in various planning stages and have yet to be approved, Audley said.

“Our whole psyche and image are wrapped up in the entertainment industry — to lose it would be horrific,” Audley said. “There is a massive benefit to this industry and its growth, but we can’t let it go by. We need to increase the capacity of our sound stages and allow for physical growth. Right now, I feel like we’re at an inflection point, and I think we’ll see a favorable response. We have to.”

Chamber Membership

Why Join the Greater
San Fernando Valley Chamber?

Since the Chamber’s founding in 1911, the San Fernando Valley business community has helped create one of the nation’s best places to live, work, play, and shop. 

The Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber is the region’s leading business organization bringing area businesses and civic leaders together to promote growth and create opportunities. Through service to a broad, diverse membership base, the Chamber steadfastly serves as the voice of business and a champion of growth.

Our members represent over 50,000 employees. By bringing a broad and varied spectrum of companies and leaders to the table, we build community and find commonalities among us all.

We advocate for regional development, business-friendly public policies, and economic prosperity. Our goal is to help businesses grow and be successful, thereby creating good jobs, driving a thriving community, and stimulating the economy. Our robust benefits program consists of advocacy programs, educational events, signature programs, networking opportunities, member savings, and marketing tools.

Our membership team can create experiences designed to achieve your unique goals. We’ll work with you to develop your membership package and customize a strategic engagement plan to increase your visibility and footprint throughout our region.

Here are the top reasons to join the Chamber:

Business & Workforce Development

Our programs are aimed specifically at business retention and expansion and workforce development, and the projects we work on have ramifications across multiple economic development disciplines. We also work with economic development partners in specific areas of business attraction, business start-ups, and infrastructure creation that stimulates economic development.

Advocacy

When government policy is being shaped on crucial issues for the business community, you want to have a seat at the table and an experienced advocate on your side. As the leading voice of business in the region, the Chamber works to create and sustain a favorable business environment where all companies can grow and prosper. We maximize our effectiveness by leading, convening, and collaborating with stakeholders to form solid partnerships and coalitions and use member-driven advocacy campaigns to mobilize the business community.

Community Development

All of the Chamber’s programs are focused on making the San Fernando Valley a vibrant place to live, work, and visit. From developing the next generation of civic and business leaders to fostering equitable economic outcomes, the Chamber engages with a broad network of stakeholders to enhance the quality of community life in the region.

Networking and Events

The Chamber provides members with invaluable opportunities to build and grow their professional network by holding over 50 quality events every year. Whether in person or virtual, these functions facilitate the development of business relationships through networking events that are equally enjoyable and rewarding.

Hospitality and Tourism

We promote the San Fernando Valley year-round to increase visitation to our lodging partners, retailers, restaurants, and activity providers, which positively impacts other professional service providers in our area. With the region being the hub for several mega-events, including Super Bowl LVI, the World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics, we actively connect businesses with opportunities to compete for event contracts.

For more information, view our brochure at www.sanfernandovalleychamber.com/downloads/MembershipBrochure.pdf.