The proposed Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, recently coined by the president, attempts to bring back production to the United States and Hollywood’s original home, Los Angeles. Backed by Trump, Jon Voight and California elected officials, Rep. Laura Friedman and Sen. Adam Schiff, the entertainment industry can potentially see increased opportunities within film and television nationwide.
This is not the first time the incentives have been proposed as a solution to increase production retention.
In June 2025, California offered $750 million in tax incentives. On Aug. 30, the California State Senate passed a tax incentive bill for the post-production industry; if passed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the bill could provide up to an estimated $35 million during the first year of its execution, according to Deadline.
As of September 10, Mayor Bass and post-production workers have pushed for the governor to sign the bill.
“Those are all incentives that the movie business has been talking about for many, many years,” said Dan Lupovitz, a USC adjunct professor and producer. “The idea of a federal tax credit is something we’ve been trying to get past for a long time and we’re happy to see that we finally have his [Trump’s] attention.”
Though Trump has voiced his support for revitalizing Hollywood, his proposed tariffs have made the situation more difficult.
The Trump administration planned to levy tariffs on films made overseas late last year, according to Deadline. As a result, Dani Orlando, a graduate student and producer at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, is concerned about employment.
“We are all here pretending like we are going to be employed when we graduate. We won’t,” Orlando said. “We’re trying our best but we cannot even land paid internships.”
Within the last several years, production has increasingly moved outside the United States as producers seek lower costs. Tariffs have made production in the United States much more expensive, leading to a 28% decline in production in the country between 2022 and 2025. In an interview with The Guardian, Friedman—a director before entering politics— said she was nervous that tariffs will create “less and less opportunities for people who are going into the creative industries in this country.”
According to the L.A. Times, Schiff previously mentioned that last year, “45% of all U.S. films and scripted television shows were shot internationally, up from about 33% in 2022.” Trump wrote on Truth Social that production in Hollywood “is a Complete and Total Disaster!...There is no incentive to be there, and it is hurting California very badly.”
A member of IATSE Local Union 705 said, “I think his involvement in the rehabilitation plan for the film industry is a dangerous thing just for our freedom of speech and what comes with making art.” Union 705 represents motion picture costumers, including tailors and seamstresses. The member asked to remain anonymous for fear of angering executives at the network where they are working on a project.
Even though Schiff and Friedman agree with Trump’s comments on the current state of the industry, his previous actions have made people in the industry wary; as his attempts to censor critics— such as Jimmy Fallon , and most recently Jimmy Kimmel— and his positions on the rights of minority groups, partially due to the rollback of DEI (hence, #EmmysSoWhite), have left many in the industry feeling conflicted.
In addition to the weariness surrounding incentives for production to return to Hollywood, the consolidation of Paramount and Warner Bros. is heavily on the mind of USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate student Kate Planting.
“I think the U.S. market is becoming less and less diverse, maybe in part because of the consolidation, maybe in part because of the government,” Planting said. “But it’s not very fun to be a part of anymore.”
A Paramount employee who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation from the company thinks the consolidation would be detrimental to the future of Hollywood.
“To be honest, it was in one ear and out the other,” said a Paramount employee. “It is very hard to be able to listen to someone who is a habitual liar. It is very difficult to say that I can trust what Trump will do with this tax incentive. How will it gel with the Ellisons, and with the merger with Warner Bros.? You don’t know what [he says] is true.”
Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery has been ongoing since earlier this year, when it won the bid against Netflix.
The company continues to seek ownership of WBD. It is currently fighting against state attorneys who have expressed opposition to the merger and are concerned about its threats to theaters and CNN, a network Trump has openly criticized.
Paramount CEO David Ellison believes differently, saying the merger would provide more resources to develop future productions, according to David Ellison’s public statement in The New York Times.
“My main concern is that we’d end up making propaganda commercials and films that were fake, spreading false information,” the Local Union 705 member said.
Though there are overarching concerns of politics entering entertainment, Jon Voight’s history with Hollywood and current relationship with the president offers the slightest sliver of cautious optimism that a resolution can be made. Voight, a Hollywood veteran and Trump’s proclaimed “Hollywood ambassador,” was introduced to ensure that production could largely return to Hollywood.
At the end of August, Trump met with Voight and a handful of film production executives to further discuss the current state of the industry and the incentives’ potential.
They have also been working with MPA Chairman and CEO Charlie Rivkin and SVPs of federal government affairs Josh Rogin and Hap Rigby, who has been in partnership with Voight to recommend additional solutions within the proposed incentives.
“He is a fantastic man who loves our Country, and feels strongly about the Motion Picture and Television Industry,” he wrote. According to Variety, they formed a coalition including the Motion Picture Association, SAG-AFTRA and Teamsters.
Jim Yoder, USC Annenberg’s special events production manager, does not have faith in their attempts. Even with the help of Voight, he said he “doesn’t believe that the [tax incentives] will occur.”
Orlando, who earlier showed apprehension towards employment in the industry, had a similar feeling of doubt but with slightly more optimism.
“I will try to make stories that help with immigration because I’m an immigrant … Don’t believe the industry is going to support you,” she said. “The industry will try to change you. So remember your roots and where you’re coming from. Be true to yourself.”