When the Culver City Council voted to approve its annual budget last week, the temporary film incentive measures that were implemented in May formally became a permanent part of the city’s pitch to production companies.

Already, new projects from Netflix and Amazon-owned MGM+ are lensing in the Los Angeles-adjacent city that emerged around the legendary MGM lot and other studio facilities. That led Culver City to adopt the motto defining itself as “the heart of Screenland.” Today, the city is home to Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amazon MGM Studios and Apple’s entertainment operations, among other entertaiment industry firms.

“Culver City has long been a premier destination for film and television production, supporting good-paying jobs, local businesses and the creative economy that helps to define our community,” Mayor Freddy Puza said.

The almost $400 million that Culver City has budgeted in total for its fiscal 2026-27 budget for local needs and long term investments covers many things. But the city has continued to prioritize production and bringing business back to familiar locations.

The incentive package, which can save a production thousands of dollars on even a brief shoot, has grown in stages. Starting last December as a temporary waiver of some fees and permits, it grew in May to be an even more generous amount of fiscal forgiveness for production companies booking locations.

The package includes free production parking, suspension of business tax collection, the development of a film location tour in partnership with FilmLA, and the creation of a film-specific business directory.

On June 9, Netflix was setting up to film a television episode at the American Legion Post #46 on Sepulveda Boulevard, a mid-century building that subbed for a nightclub in director Clint Eastwood’s 2014 Warner Bros. production of “Jersey Boys.” The familiar white trucks and orange traffic cones were a sight that raised eyebrows from passers-by, and at least one pedestrian applauding.

Also filming in Culver City is a TV series entitled “Start of Watch Block 4” for MGM+ Studios, and an industrial shoot titled “Drones.”

This is what the incentives were designed to do, Puza emphasized. “Continuing our film incentive program ensures we remain competitive, retain these economic benefits, and strengthen our legacy as a place where creativity and innovation thrive,” he said.