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California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has blasted state leaders for driving Hollywood jobs out of California — as Paramount threatens to become the latest entertainment giant to flee the Golden State.
The Republican candidate blamed California’s sky-high costs and burdensome regulations for sending productions and workers to cheaper rivals including Texas and Georgia, claiming 51,000 film jobs have disappeared in just three years.
His broadside comes as Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison threatens to move the Hollywood giant out of California amid a bitter legal battle with state Attorney General Rob Bonta over its proposed $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Paramount’s eyeing the exit and our stuntmen, coordinators, and crews are already packing for Texas and Atlanta because the machine Becerra is backed by has made it cheaper to shoot anywhere but home in Hollywood,” Hilton wrote on X alongside a video of him speaking with veteran Hollywood stuntman Sam Maloof.
“I’m going to Bring Hollywood Home with real incentives and less red tape. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” Hilton added.
California has already poured more money into trying to keep Hollywood at home, increasing the state’s annual film and television tax credit pot from $330 million to $750 million last July.
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation designed to keep more of the work that happens after cameras stop rolling in California, including jobs in editing, sound and visual effects.
From next year, studios will be able to claim credits covering between 35% and 50% of qualifying post-production spending in California. The incentive can also be claimed by productions shot elsewhere, meaning the state can compete for behind-the-scenes work even when it loses the filming itself.
The video Hilton shared, titled “POV: You’re a Hollywood stuntman struggling to find work,” shows Maloof describing the struggle to find work in California and saying many people he knows in the industry have already relocated.
“All my friends who are stuntman, executive directors and coordinator, they moved either to Texas or Atlanta,” Maloof said.
Maloof has worked as a stuntman on major films including “Mission: Impossible,” “The Fast and the Furious,” “All About the Benjamins,” “Three Kings,” “The Hitcher” and “Transporter 2.”
He said Hollywood workers once routinely traveled around the world for productions, but that has become more difficult as productions increasingly hire crews locally.
Maloof and his family star in the Netflix reality series “Drive Hard: The Maloof Way,” which follows their work with cars, racing and stunt driving.
“We want another season out of that, but it’s slim pickings now because they’re moving out of the state. So what can we do to try to bring Hollywood back?” Maloof asked.
Hilton called the loss of entertainment jobs from Los Angeles a “crime.”
“This is a passion for me with this industry. It’s so important in this region in LA, the movie industry, television industry,” Hilton said.
“It’s a crime what they’ve let happen to let all those jobs go to other states and other countries. It’s an absolute crime.”
The exchange comes as Paramount Skydance and California officials negotiate over a lawsuit challenging the company’s proposed roughly $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general sued in July, arguing the merger would reduce competition in the film and television industries.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has threatened to move the company out of California amid the dispute, although the company has not announced a move.
Paramount and California officials have recently made progress in settlement talks that could resolve the antitrust fight.
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