Hollywood is Dying: Inside Stay in LA

In this episode of Technically Creative by KoobrikLabs, Orlando speaks with Pamala Buzick Kim – creative producer, entrepreneur, and community organizer – about her work championing inclusion behind the camera and fighting to keep production jobs in Los Angeles.

Pamala reflects on her career journey from repping top-tier directors to launching tech platforms for creative talent, and how her role as a “bridge between art and commerce” has taken her from ad agencies to advocacy. She shares how Free the Bid evolved into Free the Work, why representation in production still lags behind, and what it takes to shift the needle at scale.

The conversation dives deep into her latest work as a co-founder of Stay in LA, a grassroots coalition tackling outdated permitting, red tape, and dwindling tax incentives that threaten LA’s status as a production hub. Pamala lays bare the human cost of a shrinking creative economy – from job losses to neighbourhood impacts – and argues for a federal approach to supporting U.S. creative labor in the age of globalization and AI.

We also get a preview of mavenverse, her new platform aimed at professionalizing communities and fandoms for authentic brand engagement. And in a raw, honest moment, Pamala shares how perfectionism held her back from launching – and what finally pushed her to hit go.

Orlando and Pamala explore:

• Why representation behind the camera still isn’t where it needs to be
• How Free the Work helped open doors for underrepresented creatives
• What Stay in LA is doing to cut red tape and protect production jobs
• The human cost of industry decline – and why it matters beyond Hollywood
• How mavenverse is rethinking community, commerce, and brand access from the ground up