NY Tops L.A. in TV Drama Pilot Production

LOS ANGELES: New York has become the top location for one-hour TV pilot productions in the U.S., according to FilmL.A., hosting 24 drama projects in the 2013/2014 development cycle, as compared with 19 in Los Angeles.

In total, there were 90 pilot projects shot in L.A. in the period—19 one-hour dramas and 71 half-hour comedies—giving the city a 44-percent share of the overall pilot-production pie (203 projects). This is down from a 52-percent share last year and a whopping 82-percent share six years ago. Of the drama pilot pie, L.A. had just a 17-percent share of the total 91 shot in the 2013/2014 cycle. Its share of comedy pilots, however, is 76 percent, down slightly from 83 percent last year. Seven years ago, all U.S. comedy pilots were shot in L.A.

New York had a total of 35 pilots shot there, followed by Vancouver with 17, Atlanta with 12 and Toronto with eight. Producers, particularly those making drama, are being lured by strong incentive programs, FilmL.A. says in its latest report.

“Losing television pilots—and then series—to other North American competitors leads to the destruction of steady, well-paying California jobs,” said Paul Audley, FilmL.A.'s president. “California’s current incentive program makes it hard to attract and retain new pilots and TV series. The data makes plain why an expanded film incentive is needed to bring this part of the industry back.”