According to top executives who have gathered for various global conversations exploring the evolving future of physical production, the race to attract productions is more competitive or complicated than ever.
Moderated by Variety Executive Editor’s Film and Media Tatiana Segel, the panel featured Mike Mozram (COO of Shadowbox Studios), Alexandria Mosley (Senior Manager of Physical Production at Paramount), Jamie Haggarty (Worldwide Production Facilities at Amazon MGM Studios), and Carol Trussell (Executive Producer and Head at Apple Studios).
Debate began on whether Hollywood is witnessing earthquake changes at its production hub away from Los Angeles, and on the rise in international pushes. With Atlanta-based Shadowbox spreading over a cutting-edge sound stage of 850,000 square feet, Mosallam warned that the headlines are markedly changing, but reality is even more subtle. “These things are periodic and we will find a way to return to stagnation,” he said, pointing to the need for efficiency as production costs rise to record levels. “Anyway, there’s a shift.”
With Los Angeles losing market share and popular hubs like Atlanta and London booked upfront, emerging regions such as Saudi Arabia have the opportunity to become a major player. But only if their infrastructure and crew depth evolves to meet Hollywood’s needs. “It has had a major impact on production early in our transition to other markets.”
Trussell, who helped bring Colombia to the global stage with “Narcos,” emphasized that governments willing to invest can rapidly change the landscape long before the country becomes a popular shooting location. “When a project is green light, so many factors are taken into consideration. What do each area have to offer? What is the depth of the crew? What stages do they have? What are their tax incentives? That’s really the different things you need to check and go through,” explained Trussell. “(‘Narcos’) was one of the first series to shoot in Colombia. It’s producing a lot because we realised we needed to be competitive.”
Mosley emphasized that the surge in global activities has significantly changed her work. “In the last six years, I’ve probably only done a handful of films in the United States,” she said. “So there’s been a lot of research into new places that fit the things we’re looking for. She added that beyond tax incentives, practical concerns such as whether the territory has “state-of-the-art facilities that make you feel comfortable and can meet your needs” can make decisions or make decisions.
Cost reductions and subsidies are important, but the panelists agreed that creative always determines where the story is told. “At the end, creatives are trying to control that decision,” Mosalam noted.
Whims – Whether you respond to a star who wants to arrive suddenly by helicopter or react to changes in incentive policy is still important. “Every day is full of unexpected things,” Hagerty said, but Mosalam added, “If you’re reactive, you’re about three steps behind the trend that’s already four steps ahead.” (In 2022, Shadowbox received a $500 million investment from Silver Lake and moved aggressively to fund expansion efforts in Atlanta, London, Los Angeles and Australia’s Gold Coast.)
Artificial intelligence has sparked both attention and optimism. Trussell sees promises to streamline time-consuming production tasks using AI, but Haggarty predicts that it will accelerate adoption of virtual production. But everything emphasized that AI cannot replace human storytelling. “We are in a form of art that is alive and breathing,” Mosalam said.
Looking at five or ten years later, Mosley raised concerns about the looming skill gap. “We’re missing out on a lot of department heads at the level we’re looking for,” she warned, calling for more medium-level training to replace those heads in the end. Mosallam says the solution is already in motion. This is said through a partnership between the film committee, studios and incentive programs to build a sustainable workforce pipeline.
Despite rising costs and new technology, executives agreed to succeed in building a customized experience. As Mosallam said, “You need to create experiences that are unique to the show.”
