Actor Noah Wyle will join Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, at a hearing Friday in Burbank examining challenges facing the American film and television industry, including foreign tax incentives and proposed media consolidation.
The hearing, titled “Lights, Camera, Competition: Promoting American Film Production,” will bring together industry leaders, labor representatives and policymakers.
Wyle, a Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actor best known for his role on the long-running television drama “ER,” currently stars in “The Pitt” and has been active in industry and labor advocacy efforts.
He is scheduled to testify alongside union officials, researchers and journalists, as well as members of Congress including Rep. Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, and Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana.
The discussion is expected to focus on overseas incentives that have drawn production away from California and the United States, according to Schiff’s office.
Schiff said the industry faces “many pressures,” including the potential merger involving Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“This merger must be subject to the highest levels of scrutiny to determine its impact on American jobs, freedom of speech, and the future of one of our nation’s greatest exports,” Schiff said in a statement.
Schiff said he has been working on bipartisan legislation to create a federal film tax incentive modeled after state programs such as California’s, aimed at boosting domestic production and retaining jobs.