Surviving Is Thriving: The New Hollywood Playground
LA Mag sat down with two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker Paris Dylan for a look into an ever changing Hollywood
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There’s something funny about filmmaking that mirrors life almost perfectly. A movie set is one of the most controlled environments imaginable from the camera placement mapped out, lighting dialed in, to actors blocking, all in pursuit of something that feels spontaneous and alive. Sounds contradictory, but we meticulously engineer authenticity in
LA LA Land. Life feels the same way. You prepare, you set yourself up for success as best you can, and then at some point you have to let go and accept the ride. Coming up on fifteen years in this industry, that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned: Control is an illusion, intention matters, and the magic happens somewhere in between. And right now, as Hollywood feels like it’s shifting under our feet, that lesson feels more relevant than ever. |
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In this new age of entertainment, do movies still matter?
Whenever people talk about the “state of the industry,” the conversation usually jumps straight to panic as budgets shrink, Ai takes jobs, and platforms consolidate. But before I even get into that, I want to say something simple:
Movies matter.
Sure, sometimes they’re just there to pass the time. But on the other end of the spectrum, film and television can literally shape how we experience the world. A highlight I love is the U.S. Forest Service once blasted a gut-wrenching argument scene from Marriage Story over loudspeakers to disrupt wolf attacks on livestock. It worked. Cinema influencing the real world in the weirdest way possible. And I’m here for it.
Hell, I watched Rudy and joined my high school football team the next day. That’s not trivial. Millions of people can point to moments like that. Stories that inspired action and changed the course of lives. It matters.
I think as our world gets more corporate, losing sight of that is easier to do and is where the bigger danger lies.
Whenever people talk about the “state of the industry,” the conversation usually jumps straight to panic as budgets shrink, Ai takes jobs, and platforms consolidate. But before I even get into that, I want to say something simple:
Movies matter.
Sure, sometimes they’re just there to pass the time. But on the other end of the spectrum, film and television can literally shape how we experience the world. A highlight I love is the U.S. Forest Service once blasted a gut-wrenching argument scene from Marriage Story over loudspeakers to disrupt wolf attacks on livestock. It worked. Cinema influencing the real world in the weirdest way possible. And I’m here for it.
Hell, I watched Rudy and joined my high school football team the next day. That’s not trivial. Millions of people can point to moments like that. Stories that inspired action and changed the course of lives. It matters.
I think as our world gets more corporate, losing sight of that is easier to do and is where the bigger danger lies.
What has shifted in Hollywood?
For decades, the industry was relatively stable. From the breakup of studio monopolies in the 1940s, through the early 2000s, the path in was recognizable. Then digital, social media, streaming, and finally COVID compressed decades of change into a handful of years. Suddenly how projects get to the finish line, how talent gets discovered, and the rules of success were completely rewritten.
Last year, 25 spec scripts were sold to studios even though there are roughly 12,000 active WGA writers. That’s never happened. It’s obvious that creativity isn’t suffering, it’s risk tolerance that has overpowered it.
Outside the studio system, there is a bit of a ‘content boom’ but while you may think that more content means more opportunities, that’s not always the case. Budgets are tighter. Crews are fighting harder for fewer traditional jobs. And the opportunities to act, aren’t always artistically fulfilling and you find yourself conflicted with why you even got into this business in the first place.
With acting, what you attached yourself to while growing up has completely changed. Getting a role on a TV show in the 90s or early 2000s could meaningfully shift your career. Today, even when you book something great, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to what used to be a drop in a lake. The chances of someone seeing your co-star role and it moving the needle are exponentially smaller.
The sad truth is people always ask, “What do you have going on next?” instead of digging in and asking, “How can I watch what you already made?” We’re so obsessed with forward momentum that we forget to celebrate finished work.
In the picture of the entire history of Hollywood, things didn’t gradually evolve to what it is now, it feels like a crash-zoom. The career that had been possible for decades, is not currently possible under the Hollywood system we have right now. And we must grieve. Then move on. I think I’m still grieving though.
Really, we’re all figuring out where our mark is. Even realizing that the human element of being an actor can be replaced by an Ai performer like Tilly Norwood, is daunting to say the least.
For decades, the industry was relatively stable. From the breakup of studio monopolies in the 1940s, through the early 2000s, the path in was recognizable. Then digital, social media, streaming, and finally COVID compressed decades of change into a handful of years. Suddenly how projects get to the finish line, how talent gets discovered, and the rules of success were completely rewritten.
Last year, 25 spec scripts were sold to studios even though there are roughly 12,000 active WGA writers. That’s never happened. It’s obvious that creativity isn’t suffering, it’s risk tolerance that has overpowered it.
Outside the studio system, there is a bit of a ‘content boom’ but while you may think that more content means more opportunities, that’s not always the case. Budgets are tighter. Crews are fighting harder for fewer traditional jobs. And the opportunities to act, aren’t always artistically fulfilling and you find yourself conflicted with why you even got into this business in the first place.
With acting, what you attached yourself to while growing up has completely changed. Getting a role on a TV show in the 90s or early 2000s could meaningfully shift your career. Today, even when you book something great, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to what used to be a drop in a lake. The chances of someone seeing your co-star role and it moving the needle are exponentially smaller.
The sad truth is people always ask, “What do you have going on next?” instead of digging in and asking, “How can I watch what you already made?” We’re so obsessed with forward momentum that we forget to celebrate finished work.
In the picture of the entire history of Hollywood, things didn’t gradually evolve to what it is now, it feels like a crash-zoom. The career that had been possible for decades, is not currently possible under the Hollywood system we have right now. And we must grieve. Then move on. I think I’m still grieving though.
Really, we’re all figuring out where our mark is. Even realizing that the human element of being an actor can be replaced by an Ai performer like Tilly Norwood, is daunting to say the least.
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Is it “adapt or die” when it comes to Ai?
Like most people I talk to, I’ve got complicated feelings about the newest talking point, Ai. The prolific cinematographer Roger Deakin is quoted saying Ai is “good for the industry”. Forgive me, but he’s extremely accomplished and has done it all. Hearing that, feels a little like someone boasting they’re on a safety raft while the Titanic sinks. I appreciate optimism, but for people still trying to build careers, the anxiety is real. I understand that with most new changes, it’s adapt or die. And sure, adaptation has always been part of creative survival. Film itself was once disruptive technology. But when the very fabric of artistic work starts being replicated by machines, adaptation doesn’t feel like tweaking your workflow, it feels like I’m being pushed to a different industry completely, or asking to redefine what matters to me. However, I believe there is a world where there’s transparency and guardrails for this new tool, because it’s here whether we like it or not so being open to having discussions about ethical Ai is the answer. In an odd twist, I can’t ignore the irony that this disruption is pulling the creative community closer together. People are talking, sharing strategies, and trying to figure out how to coexist with the tools instead of pretending they don’t exist. Or straightup calling companies out and getting a large majority behind them. Looking at you, Coca-Cola. |
Is there work in Indie Film?
If there’s a heartbeat in the industry right now, I feel it most in the indie world; reading the trade articles, being part of film forums, and chats on set. It’s not glamorous, but it seems like we’re still moving. There’s a living to be made here. We’re not buying mansions or boats, but we’re working. And for me, working in film at all is the win.
Technology has leveled the playing field enough that small and mid-tier teams can produce genuinely high-quality content outside the studio system. When union jobs slow down, people pivot to the gigs that are becoming more available like UGC, branded content, vertical series or micro-dramas. I will admit, some of it is artistically soul-crushing, but there’s an old saying: two for them, one for me. Or is it two for me? Either way, that balance keeps the lights on while you chase the work that feeds your spirit.
Still, I see progress everywhere. I recently talked to a PA I hired a while back, and now they are 2nd ADing projects. That’s progress! A producer friend finally launched a web series they had been wanting to do; they got tired of waiting for the stars to align, so they shifted the scope and did it themselves. People are making it, just not the way we imagined.
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Will you have to redefine “Making It” in Hollywood?
I had to sit down with myself and redefine what “making it” even means. The unglamorous discovery? If you can pay your bills strictly from film work; acting, directing, producing, marketing, crew positions; Congratulations. That’s what making it looks like now. When I started acting, the trajectory was clear: commercials to TV to feature films. Commercials were entry-level stepping stones. Now every commercial is packed with Oscar winners and A-listers fighting for attention because the money-people need eyeballs. I remember landing a big Dunkin’ Donuts spot early on in my career and feeling like I was on the correct path; to a place where commercials would be my humble beginnings. Now I just saw a Dunkin’ ad stacked with every 90s A-List star imaginable. WTF. Even messaging from the top reflects this recalibration. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently said that “theaters don’t matter because you can watch ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ on your phone.” Yikes. That mindset says a lot about where the business priorities sit. |
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If the powers-that-be play it safe to ‘protect themselves’ how does it effect our culture?
Here’s where I get worried, and not really as an industry worker, but as someone who genuinely loves movies. As an audience member.
When studios make films designed purely to generate massive returns, and ONLY that kind of film, you slowly train audiences out of the habit of going to the movies. You narrow the cultural relationship people have with cinema.
When your theatrical slate isn’t broad-based with different genres, scopes, or formats anymore, you force a smaller and smaller segment of the population into being regular moviegoers. Films become “events,” and that’s it. Take any prequel, sequel, or billion-dollar movie from the last few years; how many memorable lines can you quote? How many of those flicks do you want to rewatch?
Meanwhile, smaller or mid-budget originals, films like Waves, Pig, or even bigger swings like Fall Guy or Better Man, might not shatter box-office records, but they maintain audience curiosity. They keep cinema alive as an experience, which in the long run is more important for growth than the most recent quarterly earnings report.
When art becomes purely bottom-line math, culture as a whole loses. Studios might need to accept breaking even on art divisions for a few years because in the long run, that investment sustains the ecosystem that lets the big wins happen.
What is the future?
It’s not all doom and gloom; some good things are happening, even from the top. City legislation has started to make filming easier for filmmakers in Souther California.
New motions have passed from Los Angeles City Council like tier Permitting structures, new contracts for fast tracking approvals to convert existing Office spaces into Post-Production facilities. There’s also things like a creator's fund for incentives ON TOP of state incentives! Also a new literal task force whose only job it is to keep Post-Production and Below The Line people here in LA. It was also approved that you don't need to pay LAPD or LAFD for sets with 50 or fewer people excluding Cast.
We’re talking about huge seismic shifts and the fact that these passed unanimously, is a massive indication that as the Film Industry continues to evolve, Los Angeles is dead set on keeping its role here in Hollywood and keeping its community alive.
So there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m not naive to the fact that the amount of productions are down in LA and some of the studios look like ghost towns. So yes it’s true workers in Hollywood might have to pivot in order to stay working. But, what’s great about Hollywood is there’s a lot to do under this entertainment umbrella. Which means learning new crew positions, assisting producers getting projects made, actors doing background work, post-production people trying a new approach to distribution, whatever the case, staying in the film family keeps you afloat and our industry breathing.
It’s not all doom and gloom; some good things are happening, even from the top. City legislation has started to make filming easier for filmmakers in Souther California.
New motions have passed from Los Angeles City Council like tier Permitting structures, new contracts for fast tracking approvals to convert existing Office spaces into Post-Production facilities. There’s also things like a creator's fund for incentives ON TOP of state incentives! Also a new literal task force whose only job it is to keep Post-Production and Below The Line people here in LA. It was also approved that you don't need to pay LAPD or LAFD for sets with 50 or fewer people excluding Cast.
We’re talking about huge seismic shifts and the fact that these passed unanimously, is a massive indication that as the Film Industry continues to evolve, Los Angeles is dead set on keeping its role here in Hollywood and keeping its community alive.
So there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m not naive to the fact that the amount of productions are down in LA and some of the studios look like ghost towns. So yes it’s true workers in Hollywood might have to pivot in order to stay working. But, what’s great about Hollywood is there’s a lot to do under this entertainment umbrella. Which means learning new crew positions, assisting producers getting projects made, actors doing background work, post-production people trying a new approach to distribution, whatever the case, staying in the film family keeps you afloat and our industry breathing.
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What are your final thoughts?
Hollywood has always been a roller coaster. Just hang on. There’s good things happening, and also some not great things. And a lot of what makes staying power possible here, is mindset.
Big mindset changes aren’t an option. Although it’s never been easy in Hollywood, there was always a direction; the right ladder, the right break, the formula that guarantees arrival. After fifteen years inside this industry, I know that formula doesn’t exist. The map redraws itself constantly. Tools, economics, rules all change. But what doesn’t change is the impulse to create.
Bottom line? Nobody really knows anything. So I try to make the work I believe in, throw it against the wall, and see what sticks. That’s filmmaking. Going with the flow, while driving a motorboat.
And if you’re still doing it; still showing up, still creating, still surviving… that’s thriving in this version of Hollywood.
Hollywood has always been a roller coaster. Just hang on. There’s good things happening, and also some not great things. And a lot of what makes staying power possible here, is mindset.
Big mindset changes aren’t an option. Although it’s never been easy in Hollywood, there was always a direction; the right ladder, the right break, the formula that guarantees arrival. After fifteen years inside this industry, I know that formula doesn’t exist. The map redraws itself constantly. Tools, economics, rules all change. But what doesn’t change is the impulse to create.
Bottom line? Nobody really knows anything. So I try to make the work I believe in, throw it against the wall, and see what sticks. That’s filmmaking. Going with the flow, while driving a motorboat.
And if you’re still doing it; still showing up, still creating, still surviving… that’s thriving in this version of Hollywood.
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Photographer:
Hugo Arvizu
Photo Team Lead:
Katy Schlemmer
Photo Team:
Nicolette Lambright
Elisa Ivers
Stylist:
Jen Rade
Accessories:
Cherry Creek Watch Co
Grooming:
Queen of the Nile Beauty
Kim Vo Salon
PR:
Jackie Lewis Media
Arkay Marketing
Sp Thx:
Roosevelt Hotel
TCL Theaters
Paris Dylan: Actor, Director, Producer, Writer
Starring in the upcoming 2026 feature film releases: Accursed (with Danny Trejo), The Otherkind (with Rebekah Kennedy), Red Mountain (with Michelle Lombardo), Cheap Appeal (with Lorelei Linklater), Emergence 2028 (with Bai Ling), Oroboros (with Eric Roberts).
Director of the upcoming 2026 releases: Convict Creek (thriller film), The Call (drama film) Smile Empire (family Docu-Series), Love in LA (romantic drama series), Jews of Beverly Hills (Reality TV), Rich Brothers (comedy series), Lie or Love (Reality TV).
Producer of 2026 projects: The Raven (mystery feature), Cluck (horror feature), The Bay (drama series), Emergence 2028 (sci-fi feature), Bright Eyes (romantic drama film).
Starring in the upcoming 2026 feature film releases: Accursed (with Danny Trejo), The Otherkind (with Rebekah Kennedy), Red Mountain (with Michelle Lombardo), Cheap Appeal (with Lorelei Linklater), Emergence 2028 (with Bai Ling), Oroboros (with Eric Roberts).
Director of the upcoming 2026 releases: Convict Creek (thriller film), The Call (drama film) Smile Empire (family Docu-Series), Love in LA (romantic drama series), Jews of Beverly Hills (Reality TV), Rich Brothers (comedy series), Lie or Love (Reality TV).
Producer of 2026 projects: The Raven (mystery feature), Cluck (horror feature), The Bay (drama series), Emergence 2028 (sci-fi feature), Bright Eyes (romantic drama film).
