Washington D.C. Advocacy Trip

Hollywood Issues Take Spotlight at D.C.

As part of its annual trip to the nation’s capital, a delegation of representatives from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce visited Washington DC in March to meet with Federal legislators to discuss some of the most pressing issues to the Hollywood business community.

This year’s trip was kicked off with an intimate opening dinner with LA City Councilmembers Mitch O’Farrell, Monica Rodriguez, and John Lee. The first day of meetings included an extensive briefing from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, focused on federal policy regarding Education and Workforce Development, Transportation and Infrastructure, Healthcare, and Intellectual Property. Our delegation was briefed on the latest efforts being undertaken by the U.S. Chamber to shape federal policy within these issue areas. The delegation also met with the Motion Picture Association to discuss federal policies surrounding the film and television industry.

The 2020 Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Washington DC Advocacy Trip Delegation included:

Chair of the Hollywood Chamber, Dwayne Gathers President & CEO, Gathers Strategies, Inc.; Immediate Past Chair, Donelle Dadigan - President & Founder, Hollywood Museum at the Historic Max Factor Building; Vice Chair, Sarah Zurell; Vice Chair, Matt Fritch - Executive Director, Global Security, The MBS Group; Peyton Nealis - Coordinator, Corporate Real Estate, Netflix; & John Bwarie - Founder & CEO, Stratiscope

The Delegation was led by Hollywood Chamber President & CEO, Rana Ghadban, who led the conversation on the organization’s top legislative priorities outlined in its 2020 Public Policy Guide. The advocacy trip, which was organized by the Chamber’s Director of Public Policy & Economic Development, Jacob Jauregui, included high level meetings with Senator Dianne Feinstein, Representative Adam Schiff, Representative Grace Napolitano, Representative Jimmy Gomez, and Brad Sherman.

“The Chamber’s annual advocacy trips offer our members the unique opportunity to meet with our elected officials to discuss relevant issues and to demonstrate the overall importance of Hollywood as part of the greater Los Angeles regional economy,” stated Jauregui. “This year, our delegation came prepared to present the Chamber’s legislative priorities and we were fortunate to be joined by our Councilmember, Mitch O’Farrell, who spoke on his Chamber-backed initiative, the Hollywood Walk of Fame Master Plan, the ambitious proposal to redevelop the experience on the Boulevard.”

If you are interested in participating in future Chamber advocacy trips, please contact Diana Yedogan, Vice President of Public Policy and Economic Development at diana@ hollywoodchamber.net.

Above: The Hollywood Chamber DC advocacy delegation meets with Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell to discuss the Walk of Fame master plan and other issues concerning the Hollywood community.

Above: The Hollywood Chamber D.C. Delegation meets with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to talk about supporting small businesses.