Bulwark Takes – Episode Summary

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host: Sunny Bunch (Culture Editor, The Bulwark)
Guest: Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA-30, former Hollywood producer)
Episode: "Trump’s Tariffs on Foreign Movies Won’t Work–but THIS Will!"
Date: September 9, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the debate over how best to bring movie and television production jobs back to the United States. Host Sunny Bunch interviews Representative Laura Friedman, whose district includes much of Hollywood and whose background as a film producer enables a unique perspective on the intersection of the film industry and public policy. The discussion centers on President Trump’s proposal for tariffs on foreign films versus the more proven approach of tax credits to incentivize domestic film production. The conversation expands to the impact of industry changes (like FinCEN’s repeal and tax credit evolutions), the broader economic and cultural stakes, and touches on related domestic policy issues like affordable housing in California.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rep. Friedman's Hollywood Background Sets the Stage

• Career in Film: Friedman shares her 20+ years of experience, from NYC indie production to script reading at HBO, story editing at Paramount, and running development for a syndication company ([02:36]).
  • "Started there, worked for that producer for a few years and then moved to...Reicher Entertainment...I was hired as their head of development...I produced five feature films, but also was an executive overseeing development on scores of films." – Friedman [03:19]
• Natural Transition to Politics: She compares producing films to legislating, noting the importance of vision, relationship-building, and coalition work in both fields ([05:18]).
  • "To be successful in both fields, you have to be able to do a couple of things well. You have to be able to come up with a vision, and you have to be able to convince people to buy into your vision." – Friedman [05:34]

2. How & Why Film Production Left California (and the U.S.)

• Film jobs have diminished due to shifting production overseas and to tax-incentive-rich U.S. states like Georgia ([08:33]).
• The introduction of tax credits in Canada created a “wholesale exodus” as even small-budget films found it more profitable to shoot abroad ([09:06]).
  • "[Canada] offered a chance to get a film tax credit that made those films pencil out a lot faster...then we saw a wholesale exodus of productions." – Friedman [09:36]
• Domestic competition with other states for production jobs, but the bigger loss is to international locations ([10:49]).

3. The Value of Movie Production—Economically and Culturally

• Hollywood jobs are “aspirational” at all levels—from set labor to creatives ([11:37]).
• Tourism and cultural cachet remain firmly rooted in Hollywood, but the threat is real if production keeps shifting ([11:37]).
• "These are union jobs primarily...blue collar...up to the creative level...jobs that people want. That's something that is attractive to every state." – Friedman [12:10]

4. National vs. State Tax Credits: The Real Solution

• Tax Credits Explained: Unlike government grants, tax credits allow productions to deduct part of their expenses from their tax payments, making the U.S. competitive internationally ([17:19]).
  • "California has one model...a flat out deduction from taxes if you're to shoot in the United States using American talent, for instance." – Friedman [17:27]
• Why Tariffs Don’t Work (and Are Unworkable): Bunch and Friedman both stress that tariffs on “foreign movies” aren’t practical or effective; there’s no way to “import” a movie as a good to be tariffed, and it would ultimately hurt consumers ([20:49]).
  • "You're right, I don't know what a tariff would look like. I don't know how that works. I certainly don't want to do anything that would raise the price to consumers." – Friedman [21:46]
• Tax Credits: Evidence and Bipartisan Appeal: The California model has empirical support in stimulating production and the broader economy. Friedman argues for a federal credit to stack with existing state-based incentives ([21:46], [23:20]).
  • "We know that the film tax credit works. We have absolute empirical evidence..." – Friedman [21:46]
  • "I think this tax credit is not a pipe dream. It's a serious proposal...it will be bipartisan." – Friedman [41:36]

5. Industry Changes: The Impact of FinCEN’s Repeal and Consolidation

• Bunch asks Friedman to explain the impact of the 1993 repeal of FinCEN (Financial Interest and Syndication Rules) ([33:53]).
• Result: Ownership and profits shifted from independent producers to studios and networks, which led to less economic democracy and fewer industry jobs ([35:01]).
  • "After the FinCEN rules went away...the ownership, the sort of economic, shifted away from those independent producers...to the broadcast networks and the studios." – Friedman [35:36]
• Further consolidation shrank creative job opportunities and increased the risk aversion of the industry ([39:34]).

6. Affordable Housing and the “Abundance Agenda”

• Friedman discusses her efforts to make California more livable for the film workforce and families—chiefly by easing regulations on infill affordable housing ([24:14]).
  • "My job is to make people's lives better and easier, and that means making sure that they can afford their housing..." – Friedman [24:16]
• Discusses a bipartisan federal bill to streamline environmental reviews for affordable housing projects ([24:49]).

7. The Case for a National Coalition

• Friedman describes building a cross-state, bipartisan coalition in Congress—a necessity given how many states now have significant film production via tax credits ([32:00]).
  • "Remember I was talking about being a producer and bringing people together, getting everyone together at the table...I am working on assembling that team right now." – Friedman [32:00]
• States benefit from local jobs, but national action is required to be competitive globally ([32:28]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Movie Magic:
  "People want to be in this industry from a young age. They watch movies, they watch TV, they're inspired, they have a story to tell...They want to be a part of that movie magic." – Friedman [12:06]

• On Tariffs vs. Tax Credits:
  "You're right, I don't know what a tariff would look like...Let's do what we know works and that will bring those jobs back to Los Angeles and to America." – Friedman [21:46]

• On the Cultural Power of Film:
  "We tell our story to the world. We show our products to the world. We sell democracy and the American way of life and our values to the world through our movies. There is something that's as important as the jobs..." – Friedman [18:08]

• On Changing the Housing Approval Process:
  "We've introduced [a NEPA reform] bill...it's bipartisan as far as I know. It has no opposition at this point...But it will absolutely help build more affordable housing in Los Angeles..." – Friedman [24:49]

• On Indie Producer Life, Then vs. Now:
  "Producers were a big part of the ownership of those properties, not just a studio now. I guess people still kind of do that and sell those projects to Netflix, but it's a different model." – Friedman [38:36]

• On Parent Life & K-Pop Demon Hunters:
  "Did you know that adults are not allowed to speak [when K-Pop Demon Hunters, Taylor Swift, or Olivia Rodrigo are on]? My daughter told me that this was a law and was a new one on me as a lawmaker." – Friedman [42:55]

Important Timestamps

• Rep. Friedman’s Hollywood Background and Producer to Politician Transition: [02:36] – [08:08]
• The Industry’s Shift Away from L.A. and the Role of Tax Credits: [08:33] – [11:37]
• Economic & Cultural Stakes of Local Production: [11:37] – [14:23]
• Difference Between Tax Credits and Grants/Foreign Funding: [16:34] – [18:08]
• Why Tariffs on Foreign Movies Are Unworkable: [20:49] – [21:46]
• California’s Experience with Film Tax Credits: [21:46] – [23:20]
• Affordable Housing and NEPA Reform Bill: [24:14] – [27:05]
• Stacking Federal and State Credits/Coalition Building: [28:17] – [33:53]
• FinCEN’s Repeal and Industry Consolidation: [33:53] – [39:34]
• Closing on Film Industry’s Economic and Cultural Importance: [40:21] – [41:55]
• Parenting, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Film Consumption Culture: [42:31] – [44:12]

Tone and Takeaways

Rep. Friedman brings a pragmatic, inside-Hollywood perspective to federal policy. She ties together economic arguments, cultural significance, and the lived experience of her district’s workforce to make the case that a national tax credit (not tariffs) is the real lever for restoring and growing U.S. film production. Sunny Bunch keeps the conversation focused, probing on technical details but also allowing space for personal asides that ground the conversation in the culture itself. The episode wraps with hope and commitment to bipartisan action, leaving listeners with a clear sense of what’s at stake—and a look behind the curtain of both Hollywood and legislative production.

Ideal for listeners who care about film economics, labor policy, or the intersection of government and culture in the streaming era.