TV Again Tunes In to L.A. County

Television’s hottest producer is ... Los Angeles.

Buoyed by the boom in reality television and original shows for cable channels, TV production on the streets of Los Angeles is sizzling. The number of Los Angeles-area location shoots for TV shows has increased nearly 30% this year compared with the same period in 2003, according to a report released Friday by the nonprofit Entertainment Industry Development Corp.

Reality shows, such as NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and Fox Broadcasting Co.’s “The Swan,” make up nearly half of the location shoots. Seven of the 15 reality series airing on broadcast networks this fall have received an EIDC permit to film on location. Another 13 reality shows for cable channels are shot in Los Angeles.

Studio soundstages are hopping too. There are 80 prime-time programs produced in Los Angeles, including Fox’s “24,” ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” CBS’ “Joan of Arcadia” and NBC’s “The West Wing.”

“TV is off the charts,” said Steve MacDonald, EIDC president. “Not only are the levels significantly up compared to last year but also from the 10-year averages.”

In October 1994, producers filmed on location in Los Angeles for the equivalent of 643 days. Last month, the number had jumped to 1,841 days. (One day represents a single day of shooting on a specific project.) The 10-year average since 1994 for the month of October is 1,096 days.

The EIDC issues permits for location shoots in most of Los Angeles County. Permit levels are considered a key barometer of the health of Southern California’s entertainment industry.

“We’ve consistently seen strong levels of filming in Los Angeles this year, especially for television,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

From January through October, TV producers shot on L.A. streets for the equivalent of 15,693 days. That’s up 29% from the same period in 2003.

A major reason for the upswing has been the desire of cable channels to run more of their own programs. FX’s cop drama, “The Shield,” TLC’s home-improvement show “Trading Spaces” and HBO’s series “Entourage” all are filmed in Los Angeles.

TV production has long been centered here because of its reliance on local writers and the need for quick turnaround times. Besides, Burbank and Los Angeles-based network executives like to ride herd over their shows.

Tax incentives have lured some producers to other locations, including Hawaii, where such shows as Fox’s “North Shore” are filmed. New York also offers state and local tax breaks. To hold down costs, smaller networks such as WB have steered shows like “Smallville” to Canada.

But, for some producers, there is no place like L.A.

Fox’s “24” drama starring Kiefer Sutherland has spent the equivalent of more than 500 days this year shooting in the county.

“Being able to shoot on the streets of L.A. helps us give the show a sense of scope and size,” said producer Tim Iacofano. “And, to make a show credible, that it’s set in L.A., it’s important to be able to shoot in locations that are quickly identifiable with Los Angeles.”

Last spring, to simulate missile strikes, “24” producers employed two Marine Corp F/A-18 Hornets flying above the Los Angeles River.

“The Los Angeles River is very unique to Los Angeles -- who else has a river made of concrete?” Iacofano said.

TV producers aren’t the only ones staking out L.A. The EIDC study found that more feature films and TV commercials are being shot in Los Angeles. Two upcoming releases, Paramount Pictures’ “Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events” and Sony Pictures’ “Christmas with the Kranks,” were shot in Downey.

More feature films are being shot here because producers and actors often demand that they stay in the area. In addition, the weaker U.S. dollar has recently made it more expensive to shoot in Canada and overseas locations.

Location shooting for feature films has also surged. Through October, there was the equivalent of 6,973 days of shooting, the EIDC said. That compared with 5,878 days for the first 10 months of 2003.

TV-commercial shoots have also risen. Through October, there were 5,641 days, compared with 4,649 days for the same period last year.

Overall, the entertainment industry is estimated to contribute $38 billion to the Los Angeles economy, economist Kyser said.

State employment statistics estimate that nearly 120,000 people work in the entertainment industry. However, that number is widely dismissed as too low because so many contractors and small businesses such as caterers and equipment suppliers feed off the industry, making it difficult to get an accurate count.

For Evan Green, president of Paskal Lighting, it’s been a busy three months. His Hollywood company provides lights for feature films and TV commercials. This month alone, Paskal provided equipment for commercials for GMC, Miller Brewing, Jack-in-the-Box, Life breakfast cereal and Six Flags amusement parks.

“We’re jamming, and we expect it to last through the year,” Green said.