Mayor Karen Bass and Council President Paul Krekorian joined representatives of Hackman Capital Partners and union members to announce an agreement guaranteeing union labor will be used on the Radford Studio modernization project. (photo courtesy of Television City)
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Council President Paul Krekorian, 2nd District, joined union workers on Jan. 27 from the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council and Yvonne Wheeler, president of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, to sign a project labor agreement for the Radford Studio Center Plan, which involves the state-of-the-art modernization and expansion of production facilities in Radford Studio Center in Studio City.
The studio located in Studio City is owned and operated by Hackman Capital Partners, which also owns Television City and has proposed a major studio modernization project on the property at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. Hackman Capital Partners signed a separate agreement with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council at Television City last year, stipulating it will use union labor if the Television City plan is approved. Combined, the two agreements represent one of the largest private sector commitments to union labor in Los Angeles history. A final environmental impact report was released for the Television City plan in November. Meetings on the project are expected to occur later in 2024.
Michael Hackman, Founder and CEO of Hackman Capital Partners, signed the agreement for the Radford Studio Center with Ernesto Medrano, executive secretary of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.
“The film industry is one of our most important economic engines in the city, and so anything that we can do to strengthen it is what we need to do to strengthen our economy,” Bass said. “[This] project labor agreement is an exciting milestone to keep businesses and workers thriving in Los Angeles.”
The Radford Studio Center opened its doors in 1928 as one of the most cutting-edge production facilities of its time. The studio played a pivotal role in Los Angeles’ entertainment industry and has been home to many beloved motion pictures and television shows, including “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “Seinfeld,” “Will & Grace” and “That 70s Show.” Similar to the situation at Television City, Hackman Capital Partners contends the studio must be modernized to meet the demands of an evolving entertainment industry.
“We are committed to investing in the future of our city’s existing studio facilities and building state-of-the-art soundstages here in L.A. This goal drives our modernization projects at both Television City and Radford Studio Center. We know that if we make these investments, productions and good paying production jobs will stay in Los Angeles,” Hackman said. “We are proud to sign this project labor agreement to ensure the future of Los Angeles is built by union labor, whether that is in Studio City or in the Beverly/Fairfax District.”
“Since I wrote California’s first film and television production tax credit 15 years ago, I’ve been fighting to keep L.A.’s signature industry here at home where it belongs,” Krekorian said. “A huge part of that effort is ensuring that we have sufficient capacity in world-class studio facilities, and the Radford project is a tremendous step forward. This is the studio that gave Studio City its name. I’m thrilled to see it thriving and growing, creating good-paying union jobs for Angelenos and entertainment for the world.”
For information on the Radford Studio Center Plan, visit radfordstudiocenter.com. For information on the Television City plan, visit tvcstudios.com.