Film/TV Careers: New York vs. Los Angeles - Which Offers the Most Opportunity?

 

There is a lot of debate as to which city is better for finding jobs in film and television, New York or Los Angeles.

 

Now what many people automatically assume is that if you want a job in television or film, go to Los Angeles. If you're looking for a job in the theater, well New York is the place to be. At one point in time this was certainly true. However, New York has had a surge of film and TV production over the past few decades and there is a valid argument that both Los Angeles and New York offer up an equal amount of opportunity.

 

With this in mind, we have spoken to a number of individuals who have strong viewpoints on why they think their city is better. So, here are a few of the pluses and minuses to each and why you should take both cities into consideration when starting out on your entertainment career path.

 

Weather:

 

With 72 degree temperatures and sunny skies almost year round, it’s hard for almost any city to compete with the weather in Los Angeles. It’s one of the many reasons why convertibles dominate the roadways and why Max Sennett set up shop in Los Angeles so many decades ago.

 

But what New York lacks in year round sunshine it makes up for with a beautiful change of seasons. New York has very distinct seasons. You know a New York summer from a New York winter with merely a glance. The same of which can not be said for Los Angeles where 90 degree days in December and January are always a possibility.

 

Studio Locations:

 

With most of the major movie studios based in Hollywood, job opportunities abound. Warner Brothers, Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Disney are just a few of the studios that have thousands of employees based on the west coast. Additionally, with the advent of internet programming, Hollywood’s proximity to Silicon Valley means new opportunities and job growth in the entertainment sector.

 

Most major studios have satellite offices in New York that manage their New York based productions as well as provide additional avenues for content development and revenue generation. Many of these satellite offices are actually becoming larger and larger each year as many high profile film makers and independent production companies base their operations in New York.

 

Film vs. Television:

 

It was pretty unanimous among those that I spoke with that if a career in television development or writing for television is what you're after then Los Angeles is definitely where you should be. Although there are numerous productions currently based in New York, most of the development work happens in Los Angeles.

 

That said, crew positions such as cinematographers, make up artists, gaffers, set designers, etc. were abundant in both cities.

 

For film jobs, even though the major studios are based in Hollywood, there are still ample opportunities for a wide variety of careers in both New York and Los Angeles. All bases are covered from production development to production services to production support.

 

Schooling:

 

In Los Angeles, there are three major institutions that have world-renown film and television programs. They are:

 

The University of Southern California

 

University of California and Los Angeles

 

American Film Institute

Although there are numerous other respectable organizations, these three have programs that are consistently recognized for breeding highly qualified graduates.

 

In New York, the three film schools that stood out amongst those I spoke with were:

 

Katharine Gibbs School

 

New York Film Academy

 

Pratt Institute

Note: Although there are many other fine film and television programs available in New York and Los Angeles, the ones I mention here were the ones most frequently mentioned by the participants in my survey.

 

There are many unique advantages that each city has. But remember, the only true way to succeed in any career is to not only enjoy what you do for a living, but to enjoy the life you're living as well. So, if you have a strong personal preference toward one or the other, chances are you will find ample opportunity no matter which coast you're on.

 

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