The work that kept LA cast and crew afloat after the strikes is going AI first.
The fallback gig went first.
After the 2023 strikes, phone-sized soap operas kept LA cast and crew working. The Hollywood Reporter says that's evaporating, fast.
If you took vertical work to stay afloat
…and your phone's been quiet since June, this one's for you.
50 people. Or five.
One platform CEO: a live-action vertical might need 50 workers for seven days. An AI one, five.
Fifteen a day. Then four.
A talent manager's daily casting breakdowns since June. One actor: 5, 15 vertical auditions a week last year. About two now.
“In the blink of an eye”
A production designer made one show a month for a platform. In July it went “fully AI.” The contract ended.
Fair's fair
THR says it's unclear how much of the slowdown is AI. And that CEO says AI means more shows, he says he's hiring.
Why the fallback went first
Smallest budgets. Fastest turnaround. Lowest bar. That's where “good enough” shows up first, and where we go to wait it out.
Three sentences to find
What they can do with your work using AI. Who else can cut it. What happens after you deliver.
Tell me yours
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Sept 10, 2026.