THE HOLLYWOOD SLOWDOWN

july 2nd, 2025

Anyone who works here in Hollywood is well aware by now that work here has significantly slowed down.  Many people have been out of work for well over a year (or two!), and some have even made the brutally difficult decision to leave Los Angeles and switch careers.  This nightmare began specifically in January 2023.  In years past, Januarys are typically a very busy month when new shows start up after the new year.  It's usually a time of great excitement with calls about new projects.  But not so in 2023.  It was dead silent.  You could hear the crickets chirping.  The many phone calls I received in the busiest year of my career (2022) were nowhere to be found - all gone.  And I was left in silence, wondering what the hell was going on.

It didn't take more than a few weeks for my colleagues to agree with my initial assessment at the time that "something wasn't right".  Many people were acknowledging that the job market had suddenly dried up, for no apparent reason.  It felt very abrupt, and somewhat random, initially.  But after a sober assessment, it ultimately became clear: the Streaming Wars were over, the Studios has lost money (big time), and budgets were being slashed left and right.  Suddenly, many of the new shows that arrived post-covid were getting cancelled, and the only remaining shows were the "safe-shooters" of long running, safe franchises that were nearly guaranteed to make the studios money (think The Simpsons, etc.).  Jobs became scarce, even more so than when covid hit, and the industry ultimately contracted. 

Then, the Strikes happened.  Only half a year later, in mid-2023.  At this point, I was extremely fortunate to be one of the few still working on a show during the strikes that was finished with production and in early post-production.  But many people weren't so lucky.  Hollywood came to a near screeching halt, for a few months.  The entire industry was really hurting.

Finally, a few months later, the Strikes ended, and everyone had thought the big job holdup was over.  But the floodgates (to new jobs) still did not open.  Little changed.  Months went by.  Years went by.  Other than a small little trickle of new gigs coming in, it remained very slow.  "Survive 'till '25" proved to be false hope. The jobs did not come back.

Some people left Hollywood and switched careers, but surprisingly, a clear majority stayed, and waited.  Some got lucky, and many did not.  But what's clear is the Industry Contraction did not scare off enough people to make an even ratio of work for the remaining people who stayed.  There are still far more people trying to hang on than there are jobs.  Those with the best connections get the gigs, and others will struggle.  That's just how it goes.

Ultimately, I survived.  But it wasn't without a struggle.  I got very lucky in 2023, having worked through the strikes and for most of that year.  But my luck finally ran dry in 2024, and I was off work for half of the year.  2025 was even worse, but I ended the year strong with some new opportunities and hope.  I don't yet know what 2026 holds, but I remain optimistic and will continue to follow my dreams wherever they take me.  I will hang on, and endure - this is the story of my career, and my life.

THIS IS THE NEW NORMAL.

it won’t go back to the way it was

(at least, not any time soon).

“survive ‘till ‘25” was a fiction.

this is it. sink or swim -

good luck!