California Post-Production Workers Push for New Tax Incentive

Lawmakers to consider standalone credit to retain jobs as work moves out of state

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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As film and television post-production work has increasingly left California, workers are pushing for a new standalone tax credit focused on their industry. The effort got a major boost when a representative for Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank) said the lawmaker would take up the bill, which was greeted with cheers from over 100 attendees at a town hall meeting. The California Post Alliance, a newly formed trade group, is advocating for an incentive that would cover post-production jobs in-state, even if principal photography films elsewhere or the project did not otherwise qualify for the state's production incentive.

Why it matters

The state's post-production industry, which includes workers in fields like sound and picture editing, music, composition and visual effects, has been hit hard by the overall flight of film and TV work out of California to other states and countries. Though post-production workers aren't as visible, they play a crucial role in delivering a polished final product to audiences.

The details

Last year, lawmakers boosted the annual amount allocated to the state's film and TV tax credit program and expanded the criteria for eligible projects in an attempt to lure production back to California. However, post-production workers say the incentive program doesn't do enough to retain jobs in California because it only covers their work if 75% of filming or overall budget is spent in the state. The new California Post Alliance is advocating for an incentive that would cover post-production jobs in-state, even if principal photography films elsewhere or the project did not otherwise qualify for the state's production incentive.

  • By 2024, post-production employment in California dropped 11.2%, compared with 2010.

The players

Assemblymember Nick Schultz

A Democratic lawmaker from Burbank who is backing the proposed legislation for a new post-production tax credit.

Marielle Abaunza

President of the California Post Alliance, a newly formed trade group representing post-production workers.

Tim Belcher

Managing director at post-production company Light Iron, who presented data showing the decline in California's post-production employment.

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What they’re saying

“As big of a victory as this is, because it means we're in the game, this is just the beginning.”

— Marielle Abaunza, President, California Post Alliance

“We are competing with other states and foreign countries for post production jobs, which is causing unprecedented threats to our workforce and to future generations of entertainment industry workers.”

— Nick Schultz, Assemblymember

“We're all an integrated ecosystem, and losses in one affect losses in the other. And when post[-production] leaves California, we are all affected.”

— Tim Belcher, Managing Director, Light Iron

What’s next

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The takeaway

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