In recent news, Netflix continues to cause waves in the entertainment industry by not only moving to Hollywood but also doubling down on its support of the indie film industry.
The streaming giant is moving its headquarters from Los Gatos in northern California down to sunny LA, taking up residence in the ICON Tower in Hollywood. Netflix has acknowledged that the tax incentives are less-than-ideal in LA but the company does not care because it encourages talent to stay close to home where Netflix will be producing new shows and films.
This coincides with a renewed push for small independent film curation by Netflix, emboldened by the success of their own original programming like “13th” and “Daredevil”, which has begun acquiring new critically praised low-budget indie films like “Tramps” and “Okja”.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences changed the rules for Oscar nominations to eliminate streaming service nominations for documentaries and large companies have been slandering them (see Tom Rothman at Sony Entertainment). However, Netflix has shown that it will continue to support the indie film industry that has long been suffering under the festival circuit/theatrical distribution system.
The new push for Netflix original and syndicated films in LA and the NY Metro area means that indie filmmakers will be looking for a lot of new locations and I might know just the place for them to find what their heart desires and films need.