Television City is opening its soundstages to social media influencers amid a historic production slump in California that’s rippled across the entertainment industry.
Hackman Capital Partners announced on Tuesday a partnership with Interwoven Studios aimed at offering creators production services and studio amenities typically reserved for films and TV shows. Since opening, the facility has attracted projects with Logan Paul, Jake Shane and FaZe Clan.
The move comes amid a downturn in filming in Los Angeles driven by movies and TV shows increasingly filming in other states and countries. More than a year removed from the strikes, the entertainment industry hasn’t returned to filming in Los Angeles as initially expected. Shooting levels in the region, exacerbated by reductions in content spend across most studios, in 2024 recorded the lowest figure observed by FilmLA since it started tracking the data (excluding 2020, when filming was halted amid the pandemic). Last year, the studios that operate the majority of stages in L.A. posted average occupancy rates of 63 percent, down from more than 93 percent from 2016 to 2022.
At the same time, consumers are choosing to spend more of their time with creator-driven entertainment and social platforms. Creators mostly shoot at their homes or on-location, but that’s changing as their medium rises in popularity. A Deloitte digital media trends survey issued in March concluded that 56 percent of GenZs and 43 percent of millennials find such content more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies, with roughly half feeling a stronger personal connection to social media creators than to TV personalities or actors.
“We’re looking to create a stage for the future,” says Hackman Capital Partners senior vice president Zach Sokoloff. “You have a ton of creators who want to make content in L.A. That’s a really big vote of support from a massive and growing section of the content universe.”
With the partnership, Hackman Capital Partners and Interwoven Studios are taking a novel approach to the production slump by servicing a largely ignored community of social media creators. At Television City, they can utilize a full suite of production amenities, including hair and makeup, wardrobe and styling, green rooms, production offices and dedicated client lounges, with grip, lighting and digital equipment packages available to rent.
Interwoven Studios recently hosted Shane to produce an Instagram post promoting his live show tour. The production takes advantage of Television City’s labyrinthian halls and towering curtains, with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the control room.
“The set design was inspired by old school late night talk shows,” says Interwoven Studios cofounder Harrison Sheinberg. “It was perfect to host him here and merge those histories.”
Television City, located on a 25-acre site at the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, was home to All in the Family, The Merv Griffin Show and Sonny and Cher. More recently, Dancing with The Stars, American Idol and Real Time with Bill Maher filmed at the property.
Earlier this year, the Los Angeles city council approved a $1 billion makeover to the property that will add 980,000 square feet of offices, production facilities and retail space, with the number of soundstages increasing from eight to 15.
As Hollywood cuts back, online creators are increasingly building their own studios as advertisers shift their budgets toward such content. Sports creators Dude Perfect have built in Texas an 80,000 square foot compound, including an indoor turf football field, a massive basketball court, gym and offices. Sokoloff sees more opportunity in the creator economy, nodding to the possibility of expansion into Hackman’s portfolio of landmark studio lots, which include Culver Studios, Kaufman Astoria Studios and Raleigh Studios. “What’s clear is that you can’t put a box around what production looks like,” he says. “We’re talking about how to incentivize production, but we have this growing segment that’s excited to use L.A. to use a backdrop of to their content.”
Adds Interwoven Studios cofounder Chance Horky, “Everyone is a content creator now. It’s a larger ecosystem where there’s production happening.”
