Los Angeles Crew Members Down on Their Luck:

from: FilmWorksLA.com

Richard Verrier of the Los Angeles Times wrote a fantastic piece about the economic impact of losing the hit HBO show Luck .  The decision to shut down the show has impacted hundreds of Californians:

Two weeks after HBO announced its sudden decision to shut down production of “Luck”… those who worked behind the scenes on the weekly TV series were grappling with the harsh realities of suddenly being out of work in a tough job market. “Luck” employed about 180 crew members, 23 actors with regular and recurring roles, 20 weekly or day player actors, in addition to dozens of extras… “Luck’s” closure was felt far and wide in Los Angeles because the series filmed and spent heavily throughout the region, mainly at Santa Anita Park, but also at such locations as the Beverly Hilton, Hustler Casino in Gardena, Rod’s Grill in Arcadia and Marina del Rey… HBO executives would not disclose the budget for “Luck,” but people who worked on the show said it was among the more expensive local TV dramas, spending about $140,000 per episode on prop rentals and purchases and set construction alone.

In an effort to “cushion the blow” HBO took the unusual step of establishing a fund to assist affected crew members. Even famed director Michael Mann, who filmed Heat and Collateral entirely in Los Angeles, said he feels responsible for many of the crew members, some of whom were brought in from out of state:

“We’ve got folks who relocated from New York to L.A. and committed themselves to one-year leases and now don’t have a job,’’ Mann said. “You’re talking about hard working men and women who are carpenters, assistant camera operators, sound editors, location managers, in a community where there is not a lot of production… The shutdown was especially difficult because of the strong bonds formed on the set… every time you walked on the set you couldn’t help feeling that everyone wanted to be there.”

Film Works extends its deepest sympathy to all impacted by the show’s sudden shut down.

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