
I like to wake up and start my day with black coffee. My brand – Counter Culture. It’s pricey, but it’s my one little treat in the morning. I grind the beans, savoring the sound and smell of promise, and brew a fresh cup. It’s dark and delicious, unadulterated by cream or sugar—just like I like it. But Wednesday morning, as I sipped from my mug, I looked out the window to see something much darker than my coffee – a black cloud looming ominously coming from the east. A new storm was coming.
Courtesy of the Eaton wildfire, this cloud wasn’t just a threat to lives, buildings and our air quality; it was yet another gut punch to Los Angeles’ production community.
Driving from Chicago to Indiana years ago, I remember seeing ominous storm clouds rolling in across the flat Midwest plains, their jagged edges slicing through the horizon. I didn’t know if they were bringing rain, hail, or just a fleeting threat, but they had weight—both physical and psychological. That same weight hangs over L.A.’s entertainment industry now.
Since 2020, Hollywood has lived under one enormous storm after another. From the global pandemic to labor strikes, recovery has always seemed just out of reach. Now, wildfires raging across Los Angeles have once again stalled production and shattered lives and routines. It will possibly put Below-the-Line people, who are still trying to get their lives together, even more at risk.
I don’t know about you, but it’s starting to feel like we’re cursed—like Los Angeles’ entertainment industry has a permanent storm cloud hanging over it.
The Storm Clouds Begin: 2019 and the Agency Walkout
This era of turbulence began in 2019 with the Writers Guild of America’s agency walkout. The WGA demanded an end to packaging fees and affiliated production companies, practices they argued were siphoning profits from writers and creating conflicts of interest. Over 7,000 writers terminated their agents, effectively severing ties with the “Big Four” talent agencies.
The fallout was seismic. Projects stalled, relationships frayed, and for many, it felt like the first raindrop of a storm we didn’t yet know was coming.
The Deluge of 2020-2022: A Global Pandemic
Then came 2020, and with it, the COVID-19 pandemic—a once-in-a-century storm that brought the world, and Hollywood, to a halt. Productions shut down overnight, award shows were streamed with no attendees, theaters went dark, and the industry faced existential questions about how to operate in a world where human interaction was dangerous.
Safety protocols brought a trickle of work back by 2021, but the costs were immense. Smaller production companies shuttered. Crew members left the industry. Budgets ballooned as studios scrambled to meet health guidelines. It was a downpour that flooded every corner of the entertainment world.
2023: Labor Strikes Bring Thunder and Lightning
As the pandemic waned, the skies briefly cleared—only to be filled with the thunder and lightning of labor strikes. Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA walked off the job in 2023, demanding better compensation and protections in an industry transformed by streaming and artificial intelligence.
For months, picket lines surrounded studios. Productions ground to a halt. The strikes brought vital changes, but not without leaving behind a trail of economic damage and creative fatigue.
2024: A Fragile Recovery
By 2024, the storm clouds seemed to part. Productions resumed. Audiences returned to theaters. But the industry was still walking on eggshells, wary of the next disruption. Studios tightened budgets. Smaller risks were abandoned for safer, franchise-friendly bets. Optimism returned, but it was fragile.
It didn’t help that many productions were now taking place in the U.K., Canada, Atlanta, Chicago, New York… you get thee idea anywhere but in LA. The hardest hit – below-the-line workers. Script Supervisors, Costume Designers, Grips and more all forced to sell their homes or move. Some now even living in their cars.
2025: Wildfires Cast a New Shadow
Remember the battle cry, “Survive ’til 25?” Welp, sorry to use the pun but that went up in flames. Wildfires fueled by Santa Ana winds have engulfed parts of Los Angeles, forcing evacuations and shutting down production. FilmLA has pulled permits in Altadena, Pasadena, and Malibu, grinding work to a halt on projects including Abbott Elementary, Fallout, The Price is Right, and Grey’s Anatomy.
The fires are yet another reminder of the fragility of an industry deeply intertwined with its environment. The black cloud of smoke drifting over L.A. is a stark symbol of how, time and again, the entertainment community has been forced to pause, regroup, and rebuild.
Can the Clouds Break?
Storms pass. That’s my hope, anyway. But for L.A.’s production community, the clouds keep coming back. From labor disputes to natural disasters, it feels like we’ve been stuck in a relentless cycle of disruption.
Like those storm clouds I saw on the Chicago-Indiana highway, the ones that seemed endless but eventually gave way to clear skies, I believe Hollywood will eventually find its way through this. The resilience of creators, crews, and everyone who powers this industry is undeniable.
But for now, the black cloud lingers. And as I sip my dark coffee and watch ash fall like snow, I can’t help but wonder: When will L.A.’s production community finally catch a break?

Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
REELated:
Day 4: LA wildfires leave 10 dead, destroy 10,000 structures, force 150,000 evacuations