“Stay in L.A.” Campaign Sparks Local Documentary Development Grant (Exclusive)

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For several months now, the “Stay in L.A.” campaign has been advocating for the resumption of film and TV productions back to their roots in the cultural heartland of Southern California.

After the Southern California wildfires in January, writers Alexandra Pechman and Sarah Adina Smith initiated a community campaign. Since then, they, alongside their supporters, have organized local protests and advocated for changes in city policies to politicians. In alliance with unions and other production supporters, their organization pushed for an extensive upgrade to California’s film and television tax credit program. This proposal was approved by the state legislature on July 3.

Now, it has been discovered that their campaign has sparked a fresh filmmaking grant. On June 15th, the documentary production company All Facts (known for films such as “Telemarketers” and “Deepfaking Sam Altman”) began accepting applications for the “Stay in L.A.” Documentary Development Grant. This grant aims to provide financial support for projects still in their early stages that focus on telling stories from the Los Angeles area.

The grant offers filmmakers living in L.A. County a chance to receive between $10,000 to $30,000 in financial aid. This is for documentaries that are mainly produced and filmed within Los Angeles, as stated by the production company. The money can be utilized for various development tasks such as scriptwriting, location hunting, obtaining rights, researching, and presenting proposals.

In its initial year, the grant will be given to a single project, but the intention is to extend support to multiple projects in subsequent years, as mentioned by co-founder of All Facts, Adam Bhala Lough. Notably, Adam has been an advocate for “Stay in L.A.” and has previously shared insights on this topic through articles published in THR.

Bhala Lough expressed this in a statement: ‘This city has been incredibly generous to me, providing my career, my community, and my family. In return, I want to make a contribution.’ This is why he established the STAY IN LA Grant. His aim is to help local storytellers get off to a strong start, enabling them to continue filming in their own communities and share Los Angeles’ stories in a unique way that only they can.

The window for submitting applications will stay open until September 15. The winners will be announced on November 1. The organization All Facts, founded by Bhala Lough and film financier Greg Stewart (known for ‘Telemarketers’ and ‘There There’), will be responsible for selecting and managing the grant.

As a gamer, I often find myself yearning for the perfect environment to bring my visions to life, much like a filmmaker longing for the ideal city to produce their work. Unfortunately, it seems that our beloved city lacks sufficient infrastructure to fully support production – especially unscripted productions, which have traditionally received less encouragement. However, Pechman, co-founder of “Stay in L.A.”, expressed optimism in a statement, acknowledging the investments made by organizations like ALL FACTS that aim to generate jobs and opportunities for our city’s nonfiction filmmakers. In other words, it feels great to know that there are groups working hard to keep production thriving right here in LA.

In 2025, dismal film and television production levels in Los Angeles have prompted local advocates like Pechman and Lough to work tirelessly. State legislators have also been actively seeking solutions for the city’s decline in filming activity. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on July 2, allocating $750 million to enhance California’s film and television tax credit program. On the local level, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order in May aimed at simplifying bureaucratic hurdles for production within the city. Meanwhile, City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian is currently investigating potential changes to the permitting process.

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2025-07-08 17:25