Nick Kroll made an impassioned pitch for the entertainment industry to recommit to Los Angeles production during remarks at a major industry event, framing the decision as essential to reviving the city's cultural and economic health.
The comedian and multi-hyphenate creative, speaking at Variety's event, emphasized that his forthcoming Netflix comedy series "A Hundred Percent," which he co-created and stars in, functions as a "love letter" to Los Angeles. Kroll connected his personal project to a broader industry imperative: getting more productions to shoot in the city rather than scattering to other regions and countries seeking tax incentives and logistics advantages.
"It will bring life back," Kroll said about attracting a robust production ecosystem to L.A., arguing that a "thriving" entertainment industry presence restores "vitality" to the region. The remarks carry weight in a moment when Los Angeles production has fragmented. Studios and streamers routinely shoot in Georgia, New Mexico, Louisiana, and internationally in locations like Canada and the United Kingdom, where incentive packages often exceed what California offers. This geographic dispersal has gutted the infrastructure, crew work, and local economic activity that once defined the city as the entertainment capital.
"A Hundred Percent" arrives as part of Netflix's broader comedy push. The platform has invested heavily in comedy specials, series, and films over the past five years, with mixed commercial results. Kroll's involvement lends considerable credibility. He built his reputation through "Kroll Show," his sketch comedy series on Comedy Central, and subsequently co-created the acclaimed animated series "Big Mouth" for Netflix, which ran for seven seasons and generated substantial cultural conversation around its frank treatment of adolescence and sexuality.
The timing of Kroll's appeal matters. Los Angeles faces genuine economic headwinds. The 2023 writers' strike and 2023-2024 actors' strike created production gaps that forced studios to accelerate filming timelines once work resumed, but many projects that might have shot in L.A. simply went elsewhere permanently. Meanwhile, local crews, equipment vendors, and service providers face reduced work. The city's broader tourism and hospitality sectors suffer when entertainment production activity declines.
Kroll's position as both a celebrated creative talent and someone with institutional power at Netflix gives his comments industry weight. He's not simply a performer advocating for his hometown. He's a producer with greenlight influence and a track record of hits. When someone at his level says the industry needs to prioritize L.A. shooting, studios listen.
The "A Hundred Percent" project itself may function as a test case. If Netflix commits resources to a major comedy series that shoots substantially in Los Angeles, it signals to other streamers and studios that the platform believes the economics and logistics work despite higher California labor costs and tax burdens. Success could prompt competitors like Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video, and traditional studios to recalibrate their own L.A. production strategies.
Kroll's framing also acknowledges what industry leaders increasingly accept privately: Los Angeles production isn't merely about business efficiency or bottom-line margins. The concentration of talent, infrastructure, and creative community in Southern California possesses irreplaceable value. Dispersing production erodes that advantage long-term, making the city less attractive even for projects that genuinely have flexibility about location.