A new industry coalition officially launched last Wednesday, June 18, aiming to turn the tide on runaway production and bring film and TV work back to the U.S. The Coalition for American Production (CAP) kicked off its national campaign with an inaugural webinar that drew over 200 business owners from across the country, signaling a unified push for a federal film incentive.

The large turnout at CAP’s debut event highlights growing alarm among U.S.-based production businesses. Vendors, soundstage owners, crews, and post houses are seeing jobs and infrastructure shift overseas, threatening to hollow out the domestic industry that originated here. Their future, CAP argues, now hinges on direct policy action.

CAP is spearheaded by a leadership team with a proven track record. Co-founders Rudy Callegari, a seasoned media entrepreneur and co-founder of Edge Auto Rental, and Andrew Stern, Founder and CEO of Be Electric Studios and Co-President of New York’s Production Initiatives Association (PIA), previously spearheaded PIA’s successful campaign for aggressive tax credit legislation in New York. Their strategy there provides a direct blueprint for CAP’s national ambitions. “We have the playbook and the relationships,” Stern said during the webinar. “Now we’re bringing that proven strategy directly to Washington.”

The leadership team also includes Jason Fisher, Founder of StageRunner and a former head of production at Disney, Paramount, and AMC, who has been appointed Western Executive Director. Emmy-nominated producer Jackie Stolfi is Eastern Executive Director, and Gannon Murphy, EVP of Cinelease Studios, joins as a founding board member. This collective aims to amplify the voices of the behind-the-scenes businesses and craftspeople who power Hollywood.

“This is about protecting a key part of the U.S. production economy,” said Murphy. “Vendors, crew, and facilities are essential to getting content made, and many are struggling. CAP offers these businesses a much-needed voice at the national level.”

CAP’s core argument: individual state incentives, while helpful, are no longer enough to compete globally. International rivals offer national programs that attract productions on a massive scale, leaving the U.S. without a cohesive counter-strategy. CAP’s goal is to secure a federal incentive that would stack on top of existing state film tax rebates, making the U.S. competitive again.

“There’s a gap, and we need to close it—fast,” Stern emphasized. “Our aim isn’t to replace international partners; it’s about revitalizing the U.S. as a truly competitive production hub—ensuring our American businesses, the filmmaking that originated here, our critical infrastructure, and our skilled crews all remain active and thriving on home soil.”

The timing of CAP’s launch is strategic, coinciding with increasing political interest in reshoring production. The Trump administration has recently signaled support for revitalizing the domestic entertainment sector, even enlisting high-profile Hollywood allies like Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as advisors on cultural and economic policy. While specific plans from the administration are still pending, they clearly see film and television as a vital U.S. export and job creator.

“This moment requires a profound show of unity,” Callegari urged during the launch event. “We’re not asking for every production to stay here—we’re asking the U.S. government to do what nearly every other major production hub in the world already does: back the businesses and workers that make this industry possible.”

For more information or to join the Coalition for American Production, visit usacap.org.