LOS ANGELES — As Paramount and Warner Bros. merge into one company, aspiring filmmakers in Los Angeles are confronting an increasingly uncertain future in an industry already struggling with declining production and fewer job opportunities.
At Loyola Marymount University, freshman film student Daniel Botero is pursuing a dream that brought him thousands of miles from his home in Colombia, where he spent six years working in film.
“It worries me a lot. Every night, I think, Why am I doing this? Why do I want to do this?” Botero said.
A Los Angeles County report estimates the merger could cost the region 4,500 jobs. While the combined company has pledged to produce 30 films annually, concerns remain about the impact of consolidation on employment and opportunities for new filmmakers.
For students like Gianna Jordano, the challenge extends beyond landing a first job.
“You have to get a job, work that job and then find a new job every single time,” Jordano said, describing the industry’s project-based employment.
Despite the uncertainty, Botero remains determined to pursue his passion.
“Being scared and still going for it is what true bravery is,” he said. “And I feel that if I go into it and it doesn’t work out, I give it my all.”
For Botero and his classmates, Hollywood’s future remains unwritten. But they are betting their own futures on being part of it.