Filmmaker Griff Furst, known for traditional productions, is building a studio in Calabasas. This facility will release serialized content on YouTube, entirely bypassing traditional distribution. His new company, New Power Studios (NPS), founded in 2025, prioritizes YouTube-first content, later exploring secondary channels, according to Programming Insider. This staged model tests content directly with audiences, fostering immediate engagement and driving a fundamental decentralization in film and TV production.

Furst's strategy moves towards audience-driven storytelling. It reduces reliance on traditional studio systems and their gatekeepers for financing, marketing, and release. This direct-to-audience approach redefines the production pipeline, empowering creators by removing historical access barriers.

Major studios, conversely, decentralize production for tax incentives, a distinct industry shift. The film and TV landscape now bifurcates: a geographically dispersed, traditional studio system, and a rapidly growing, direct-to-audience creator economy. This challenges established power structures.

The Great Relocation: How Tax Breaks Lure Blockbusters Away

California allocated $193 million in tax incentives across 38 film and TV projects, according to Deadline. This financial inducement aims to retain and attract major studio productions. For instance, an Untitled Paramount Crime Thriller received $25.8 million in tax credits, leading the allocations. Such significant credits underscore the state's investment in maintaining its production footprint amidst broader industry shifts.

The California Film Commission also allocated $21.86 million to The Simpsons Movie 2. These substantial tax credits intensify competition among states to attract major studio productions. This leads to a geographical dispersion of traditional film and TV work. Studios prioritize financial optimization through strategic relocation, not fundamental shifts in content distribution.

L.A.'s Shifting Sands: A Bellwether for Industry Change

  • 5,121 — L.A. on-location production totaled 5,121 shoot days in Q1 2026. This marked a 10.7% increase from the prior quarter, but a 3.3% decrease year-over-year, according to LAmag.
  • 40% — Relocating TV series qualify for a 40% tax credit under California's program. Independent films, feature films, and new TV series qualify for 35%, per LAmag.
  • 20% — Oklahoma provides a 20% base incentive for projects filming principal photography in the state, according to Oklahoma Film + Music Office.