Hollywood Faces Crisis After Strikes and Streaming Wars
Michael Fortin, once thriving in Hollywood's golden age of streaming, now faces homelessness due to industry struggles. The Hollywood boom ended with strikes in May 2023, causing production shutdowns and layoffs. Experts deem the streaming boom unsustainable, calling for new incentives to revive the industry.
Michael Fortin, once thriving in Hollywood's golden age of streaming as an actor and aerial cinematographer, now faces the threat of homelessness.
The Hollywood industry saw an unprecedented boom over the last decade, powered by competition among studios like Netflix and Hulu.
However, this came to a halt in May 2023 when Hollywood's writers went on strike, joined by actors for the first time since the 1960s.
The strikes have led to production shutdowns, project cancellations, and significant layoffs, including at Paramount.
Unemployment in the film and TV industry was at 12.5% in August 2023, but actual numbers could be higher.
According to ProdPro, US productions fell by 40% in Q2 2024 compared to Q2 2022, while global numbers dropped 20%.
Experts argue that the streaming boom was unsustainable, causing a content bubble that has now burst.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has created a task force to consider new incentives for film production to mitigate the slowdown's impact.
The entertainment sector contributes over $115 billion annually to the region’s economy and employs over 681,000 people.
Despite the downturn, industry insiders like Matthew Belloni and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland remain cautiously optimistic about Hollywood's future.