American stories. American jobs. American production.
All of these things are at risk of collapse due to an imbalance of power in the
U.S. Film and Television industry.
Consolidation has transformed this formerly diverse creative ecosystem into a closed loop marketplace. A handful of dominant companies now decide what America watches – they choose what to commission and where to shoot, produce, and distribute it.
The rest of the labor market is suffering. There are fewer doors for small, independent producers to knock on and fewer jobs available for the individuals that support the industry.
The American Entertainment Alliance is a united group of independent production companies, talent agencies, and industry workers fighting to restore a vibrant and competitive American film and television market through federal production incentives and a modern approach to creative ownership for the streaming era, bringing jobs, storytelling, and consumer choice back to the U.S.
The American Entertainment Alliance (AEA) represents the working side of the entertainment industry.
Our members include talent agencies, independent production companies, studios, post houses, and the businesses that support them – from equipment vendors to stage operators to the local employers who depend on a working set. We finance, package, produce, and staff the shows and films audiences watch every day.
- Anonymous Content
- Blumhouse
- CAA
- Imagine Entertainment
- Jeff Sagansky
- Legendary
- MRC
- North Road
- Producers United
- Propagate
- UTA
- WME
- Ziffren Brittenham
We've come together because the system that once rewarded American creativity now works against it, and the workers hit hardest have the least ability to change it on their own.
Together we're fighting to restore a vibrant and competitive American film and television market by showing our legislators in Washington how federal production incentives and a modern approach to creative ownership for the streaming era will bring jobs, storytelling, and consumer choice back to the U.S.
Become a Member
If your business depends on American production, this alliance is for you.
A closed loop, decided by a few
Since the dawn of cable television, the entertainment industry has been slowly consolidating. Streaming escalated this process and landed us where we are today.
Vertical integration has cut opportunities across the industry.
-100,000 jobs across the U.S. television and motion picture business.
The U.S. television and motion picture business has lost more than 100,000 jobs since its late-2022 peak—a decline of nearly 35 percent.
-45 million employment hours for below-the-line crew members.
IATSE reported that total employment hours for below-the-line crew dropped by 45 million hours per year compared with 2022 levels.
-41% U.S. scripted commissions
Streamers reduced their U.S. scripted commissions by 41% between 2022 and 2025.
This is Hollywood's Detroit moment. Consolidation at the top, outsourcing at the bottom, a hollowing out of the industrial base in between.
The U.S. currently accounts for only 34% of global film production and 42% of global television production. Without structural change to industry standards, that number will continue to fall—along with the number of jobs available to workers across the country.
We've seen this before, and we know how to fix it and without using a single federal dollar.
Production volume is down. Domestic share is down. Jobs are down. Industry consolidation and its downstream effects are not new. We've seen this before, and we know how to fix it.
The Financial Interest & Syndication Rules of 1970
In 1970, the FCC implemented the Financial Interest and Syndication (Fin-Syn) rules to end industry control by the dominant broadcasting conglomerates of the time.
They prohibited dominant networks from owning the programs they aired or controlling their syndication, ensuring that show's creators could own them. Independent producers had guaranteed access to broadcast distribution and could retain their syndication rights.
When those rules were repealed, consolidation followed.
A Modernized Framework for the Streaming Era
The American Entertainment Alliance is committed to the implementation of a modern approach to creative ownership for the streaming era.
We believe a structural solution that benefits the whole industry will require the following key mandates:
Independent Commissioning Floors
Require general entertainment platforms of scale to commission series from independent producers and studios.
Ownership Limits
Allow independent production companies and their participants to own their shows again.
Algorithmic Transparency
Require transparency in the algorithms that determine what audiences discover, to prohibit platform self-preferencing.
Licensure Terms
Limit license terms so independent producers’ work can be more widely distributed and monetized in a timely, effective manner.
This fight shouldn't have sides
Ending market consolidation in entertainment benefits all Americans—from below-the-line crew members to writers and actors to the viewers at home.
Bring production home
Foreign governments spent two decades buying American productions with tax credits and subsidies. Between generous incentives abroad and consolidation at home, shooting in the U.S. stopped making financial sense. We want federal policy that makes it economically rational to write, shoot, and produce here.
Put crews back to work
A single day of production supports hundreds of skilled tradespeople and puts money into local restaurants, hardware stores, hotels, and equipment rental houses. These are middle class jobs with benefits, and they exist in every state that has ever hosted a shoot. More domestic production means more job opportunities, and not just in Los Angeles and New York.
Let creators own what they create
Independent producers increasingly work for hire, handing over full ownership of projects they spent years developing. Ownership and reversion rights are how small and mid-sized companies build value, take risks, and hire the next crew.
Open the market to independents
Distributors should be buying from the entire market, not just from themselves. Reduced program diversity devastates innovation. A real independent pipeline means more shows, more voices, and more competition defining American storytelling.
Protect the audience
Concentration means fewer titles, higher prices, and recommendation systems built to serve the platform instead of the viewer. Competition protects consumer choice and keeps costs in check.
From the Press Room
For interviews, background briefings, member introductions, or data requests, contact:
contact@americanentertainmentalliance.org