Runaway production: Inside the ‘Poacher’s Convention’

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Utah’s booth at the Association of Film Commissioners International conference at the Hyatt Regency in Century City.

Hollywood is no longer the go-to place for shooting feature films and TV shows.

Just eight percent of big budget Hollywood films were made in LA in 2013, down from 65 percent in 1997.

And from 2005 to 2013, California’s share of one-hour TV series dropped from 64 percent to 28 percent.

Why the big exodus? States like Georgia, New York and Louisiana, and countries like the UK and Canada are offering attractive tax subsidies to lure filmmakers.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has declared a “state of emergency” in the local film and TV production industry.

The Association of Film Commissioners International held their convention in March at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Century City.

Paul Audley, the president of Film LA, has called it “The Poacher’s Convention.”

KCRW’s Avishay Artsy recently attended the gathering here in LA and brings back a report.

And as the incentives war heats up, there’s been an unexpected crime trend that’s becoming associated with the current incentives.

Alex Ben Block has been covering the rise in tax credit fraud for The Hollywood Reporter and spoke with KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis.