SACRAMENTO, CA ‘s Assembly Speaker Karen Bass has appointed State Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) to the California Film Commission, filling the seat that she previously had held herself.
Assemblymember Krekorian has been among the strongest advocates for California’s film industry in the State Capitol. His district includes Burbank, Glendale and surrounding areas of Los Angeles, and is the home of most of the major film studios and a very significant number of industry professionals, so he well understands the enormous economic impact of this critical industry.
“California’s film industry is a treasured and world-renowned part of our state’s history, and it also creates good middle class jobs that are a vital part of our economic future,” Krekorian said. “Unfortunately, many foreign countries, and over 40 other states, are going to great lengths to take these jobs away from Californians, and they’ve been succeeding. I’m looking forward to working with my fellow commissioners, my colleagues in the Legislature and the Governor to find ways to make California more competitive so that we can keep these good jobs here at home where they belong. I’m honored that the Speaker has entrusted me with the opportunity to do so”
Assemblymember Krekorian is the Chair of the Assembly’s Select Committee on the Preservation of California’s Entertainment Industry, and in that capacity he has led the fight to keep film and television production jobs in California. He was the joint author of AB 1696, which would have created a grant program to make filming in the state more cost-competitive with other states and countries. He also authored three new laws to assist in the fight against piracy and counterfeiting of motion pictures, sound recordings and other creative property. Krekorian was an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer for many years before his election to the Assembly.
“Paul Krekorian has the expertise and the passion we need to promote quality film production in California,” said Speaker Bass. “I have every confidence in his ability to develop innovative ways to encourage the in-state production that makes up such a vital part of California’s economic activity and job creation.”
Other members of the Commission include motion picture professionals such as actor/director Danny DeVito, actor/director Clint Eastwood, entertainment industry labor leader Michael Miller, and studio executives from Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Sony Pictures, among others.
Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) represents the cities of Burbank and Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village and Van Nuys.
