Beyond the Tax Credit: Keeping Production Local
First elected to the Assembly in 2024, Assemblymember Nick Schultz proudly represents California’s 44th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Burbank and Glendale, as well as the communities of La Crescenta, Sunland Tujunga, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, and Valley Village.
Shortly after being elected to the Assembly, Schultz was tapped by Speaker Robert Rivas to take the helm of the Assembly Public Safety Committee. As Chair, he has set the course for the committee to focus on increasing safety for all communities in California and building a more equitable criminal justice system.
In addition to his role as Chair of the Public Safety Committee, he serves as a member of the Assembly Committees on Budget, Natural Resources, Utilities and Energy, and the Budget Subcommittee #6 on Public Safety. Schultz is also the Policy Chair of the Progressive Legislative Caucus.
Assemblymember Schultz has a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Oregon and resides in Burbank with his wife Allie Apana Schultz; their children, Ella and Aiden; and two cats, Liam and Lily.
Ed Duffy is currently the Political Director at Teamsters Local 399 and also a board member of the Entertainment Union Coalition as well as member of the board of FilmLA. Prior to entering his present position, Ed served as Vice President and Business Agent for Location Managers and Casting Directors at Teamsters local 399, and previously as a Location Manager working on California-based projects such as Moonlighting, Melrose Place, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The OC.
Leah Medrano was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as the Deputy Director at the California Film Commission. In this role, Leah combines her extensive production office experience with 20+ years of expertise in government relations. She is responsible for overseeing the state’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program and Soundstage Filming Program, ensuring these initiatives support the state's thriving film and television industry. Her strategic vision and leadership have significantly contributed to retaining film and television productions in California, along with creation of thousands of creative jobs in the Golden State. Before her tenure at the California Film Commission, Leah had a distinguished blended career in government and entertainment; Leah worked at Fox Television Station, MTV Networks, Fox Sports, and the Los Angeles news group CBS2 and KCAL9. She also held positions with the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of State Hospitals. Leah is a member of Women in Film, Film Independent, and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. As a passionate advocate for arts, media, and entertainment, Leah also devotes her time to teaching dance classes at a local studio for more than a decade. Leah is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach; she holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and a master’s degree in Education, Emphasis on the Social and Cultural Analysis in Education.
Michael Walbrecht serves as Vice President, Public Affairs, Warner Bros. Discovery, with responsibility for handling government and community affairs for the company’s corporate, feature film, and television production divisions as well as for the Studio’s facilities located in Burbank, California.
Prior to joining Warner Bros., Walbrecht served as Associate Director of the California Film Commission. Before that, he worked for Century Productions as a production coordinator and for independent producer, Laura A.S. Phillips as a postproduction coordinator. He graduated from the University of Southern California, where he studied political science and history and film criticism.
In addition to his professional responsibilities, Walbrecht currently serves on several local advisory commissions and nonprofit boards. He lives in the Pasadena area with his wife and two children.
Leslie Simmons is a Field Representative and Political Coordinator for The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839 (TAG). Located in Burbank, the union represents more than 5,000 artists, writers, production workers and technicians in the animation industry across the U.S. Her work at TAG includes contract enforcement and working with elected officials on issues that are important to the members and all working people, including the recent expansion of the state's Film & TV jobs program.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Leslie has worked in the labor and union movement for more than 16 years. She previously spent 14 years in journalism, working as a news reporter for various print and online publications.
Leslie earned a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from Long Island University, Brooklyn and a Master's Degree in Communication and Leadership from Gonzaga University.