By most metrics, the Baton Rouge film industry had an incredible 2022.
According to the Baton Rouge Film Commission, spending on local film productions tripled to nearly $82 million in 2022 from $28.3 million the prior year, and surpassed the industry’s previous high of $54.3 million in 2019.
The Capital Region hosted multiple high-profile productions, including Disney’s television series National Treasure: Edge of History, Paul Schrader’s Master Gardener and A24’s upcoming wrestling biopic The Iron Claw, which together allowed the local film industry to rebound from the pandemic’s production drought. But labor disputes tied to technical changes in the industry are tempering optimism for a repeat performance, forcing players in the local film sector to pivot.
This summer, strikes by the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Actors and the Writers Guild of America have resulted in a shutdown of film and television productions nationwide. The strikes, reminiscent of those in the 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s, have repercussions far beyond the striking professions, affecting everyone from stagehands to carpenters to hospitality professionals.
Brent Caballero of south Louisiana’s Caballero Casting has witnessed a marked decline in clients and bookings since December, linking it to studios hitting a figurative reset button.
“My business is at 80% drop-off from where we were last year. And, to be quite honest, the 20% of business that we did have, I’m grateful for,” Caballero says. “We’ve been somewhat blessed that we’ve been able to do some national commercials and a few indies.”
With no one using the soundstages, Celtic Media Centre, the most notable production studio in the Capital Region, has seized on the opportunity to diversify.
Read the full story about how local film industry professionals are handling the strikes from the latest edition of Business Report. Send comments to editor@businessreport.com.
