The campaign to expand California’s support for post-production picked up real momentum Friday night when the Television Academy threw its weight behind a tax credit bill now moving through Sacramento.

The endorsement surfaced at a California Post Alliance town hall in Burbank, where Assemblyman Nick Schultz rallied support for the measure and argued the state has waited too long to protect one of its core entertainment industries. Reports indicate the bill targets post-production work, a part of the business that many in the industry say California has let drift to rival states and countries with stronger incentives.

“We should have done this a decade ago.”

The Television Academy’s backing matters because it gives the effort more than industry talking points; it gives it institutional credibility from one of television’s most visible organizations. That kind of support could help advocates frame the bill not as a niche subsidy, but as an attempt to keep skilled jobs, infrastructure, and creative work tied to California at a time when production economics have shifted fast.

Key Facts

  • The Television Academy has endorsed a California post-production tax credit bill.
  • The announcement came during a California Post Alliance town hall in Burbank.
  • Assemblyman Nick Schultz used the event to build support for the legislation.
  • Advocates argue California needs stronger incentives to retain post-production work.

The broader fight reflects a familiar anxiety in Hollywood: California still anchors the entertainment business culturally, but that status no longer guarantees the work stays here. Sources suggest supporters see post-production incentives as a practical way to hold onto editing, sound, visual effects, and other jobs that can move quietly and quickly when costs rise. The debate now turns on whether lawmakers view the credit as a necessary competitive tool or another industry ask in a tight fiscal climate.

What happens next will show how serious California is about defending the less visible parts of its entertainment economy. If the bill gains traction, supporters will likely press the case that post-production jobs form a long-term pipeline of local employment and spending. If it stalls, the warning from Burbank will only grow louder: the state risks losing more of the work that once seemed inseparable from Hollywood.