LA wildfires—how the city’s ad industry is coping with the disaster

The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles this week are having a major impact on the city’s advertising community, with workers across the industry—agencies, brands, production companies, post-production houses, crews hired for ad shoots—dealing with evacuations, personal losses and major business disruptions. The fires have had an outsized impact on commercial production since L.A. is the country’s top hub for ad shoots. At least three Super Bowl shoots have been disrupted, Ad Age has learned, due to resource and safety concerns amid the city’s state of emergency. DoorDash’s Super Bowl shoot, scheduled for Thursday in L.A., was postponed. The client and agency Wieden+Kennedy arrived on set for prep on Wednesday but canceled the shoot after crew members affected by the fires—some of whom were dealing with evacuations—could not make it to set. “Given the severity of the fires in L.A., DoorDash made the decision to reschedule its Super Bowl shoot, which was set to take place in L.A. this week,” a DoorDash spokesperson confirmed. “When it’s clear and safe to proceed, we will conduct the shoot at a later date. Our spot remains set to air during the game as planned, and we don’t anticipate any issues with our production timeline.” Highdive has also had two Super Bowl spots as well as two other shoots affected, said Jen Passaniti, the Chicago-based agency’s head of production. The agency didn’t immediately confirm the brands behind the Super Bowl work, but Highdive is known to be doing ads for MSC Cruises and Lay’s that are set to air during the Feb. 9 game. Multiple crew members and others involved on the production side of the shoots have lost their homes or had to evacuate, Passaniti said. Two of the four shoots were scheduled for this week; each is being handled on a case-by-case basis, Passaniti said. One has been rescheduled for later this month, a second was moved to a safer location, and the two others are possibly being relocated to cities such as Atlanta. Related news: LA wildfires—how marketers are responding Pulling permits The disruptions extend well beyond Super Bowl commercials. FilmLA, the group that grants permits for film and ad shoots across much of Los Angeles County, said Wednesday it had revoked permits for large portions of the area. One source at a top production company estimated to Ad Age that 90% of ad shoots scheduled in and around the city this week have been scrapped. 72andSunny canceled a shoot it had planned for this coming weekend, some of which was to take place at Eagle Rock, a neighborhood near Pasadena. The Martin Agency said one of its productions, for a pro-bono project, was also postponed. “We advise the production community that personnel resources ordinarily available to support film production may not be available,” FilmLA said in an alert. “For filmmakers planning to work this week in any jurisdiction served by FilmLA, please verify that public safety personnel assigned to you will be available before you proceed.” Shawn Lacy, founding partner of Biscuit Filmworks, said several Biscuit shoots that were scheduled for this week have been moved to next week and that the production company will monitor the situation. “It is scary and heartbreaking here,” she said. “It sounds like the winds might be picking up again early next week, so I don’t think we are out of the woods yet.” Highdive’s Passaniti said there are insurance implications for moving shoots but that her clients have been more focused on people’s safety rather than costs. “We have insurance, but every project has a different level of insurance. Each scenario is different, and there’s a lot of nuance to insurance,” she said. “If you’re going to postpone a shoot, there’s a lot of fine print you need to read through and make sure you really understand what you’re covered for, what you’re not covered for.” Other Super Bowl advertisers, such as Reese’s and Instacart, shot their spots before the holidays, so those productions are not affected. San Francisco-based Instacart said it was checking in with its agency, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA. “We are in close contact with them since the situation is changing so quickly, but so far, they are safe,” a spokesperson said. Diego de la Maza, chief production officer at Deutsch, said the agency is working with its production partners—and seeking guidance from the Association of Independent Commercial Producers and unions—on how to proceed with ongoing productions. “We’re prioritizing safety and flexibility above all else,” he said. “Remote viewing—something we’ve perfected since the pandemic—has become a key tool in minimizing travel into the city. We’re also exploring schedule adjustments and alternative locations within close proximity to L.A. to maintain production momentum.” ‘The neighborhood is gone’ Many in the industry are suffering more than a disrupted shoot. With thousands of ad people scattered across the city, many have lost their homes or are in danger of doing so—or know someone who is. Ari Kuschnir, founder and managing partner of production company m ss ng p ces, told Ad Age that he and his family evacuated Pacific Palisades on Tuesday. “I’m still processing the last 48 hours,” he said. Upon leaving the house Tuesday morning, he raced to pick up his child—and a friend’s child—from their school, which later burned down. He then found himself stuck in gridlocked traffic trying to flee. “People were panicking,” he said. “I managed to find a back road and get out. It was intense with 8-year-old kids to keep cool and think ahead. I thought about what to take in those free minutes I had, and one thing I realized is there wasn’t much besides documents, computers, clothes and a few meaningful items I felt I should bring.” Kuschnir called Pacific Palisades—which has been ravaged by a fire that had burned through more than 15,000 acres as of Thursday morning—“a paradise” and “a dream neighborhood.” “I know so many small business owners and friends who have now lost everything,” he said. “That precious neighborhood is gone.” “Everyone has friends who have lost something,” said Evin Shutt, global CEO of 72andSunny. “A friend of mine has lost his home, his office and his kids’ school—all gone. Even if you’re not personally affected, your heart is breaking for friends and loved ones.” (72 announced that its staff will be able to use the agency’s Employee Assistance Fund, launched last year to help with costs incurred by natural or personal disasters that insurance won’t cover.) Checking on employees Staff at agencies, production companies and other businesses across the region have had to evacuate areas in danger. Worthi Founder Myles Worthington and several of the agency’s other staffers evacuated their homes. The agency has been assisting employees with evacuation travel and providing other resources. “When one of our employees that was close to the fire wanted to get back home to Chicago, the team made sure her flight was covered, even though it’s not a standard policy,” Worthington said. Sophie Gold, founder of production company Eleanor, who lives in the Westchester neighboorhood near Los Angeles International Airport, said she sent staffers home from Eleanor’s Santa Monica office at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, when the winds started shaking the building. “Most production companies have told their staff to work from home, and the same goes for post houses,” she said. “We’ve all been glued to this app called Watch Duty. Two of my staff that live in Hollywood had to evacuate with only minutes’ warning.” Holding companies WPP and Interpublic Group both sent memos to staff about the fires. Michael Houston, president of WPP U.S., said “several of our colleagues have lost their homes” and told employees that emergency support resources were available to them, “including access to temporary accommodations, childcare services, medical cover, paid leave and more.” IPG said it is “tracking the safety of our people” and also offered support resources. Anomaly’s office in West Hollywood still has power, so the Stagwell agency is keeping it open for employees to use as shelter if needed, said Khara Wagner, partner and CEO at Anomaly LA. “We have a map of all of our employees, and we continue to check in with them as the situation evolves,” Wagner told Ad Age. Mischief @ No Fixed Address addressed the fires in a memo to staff. The indie New York agency told employees that “any business travel to the [L.A.] area is 100% elective,” adding that “physical and mental health and safety come first.” “From a production perspective, we are closely monitoring the situation minute by minute—geographically, meteorologically, logistically and personally,” Mischief said in the memo. “We are also following guidance from local unions/guilds and government entities in Los Angeles regarding how to proceed.” ‘An overwhelming sadness’ Jed Cohen, executive creative director at Mother LA, said clients have been “super understanding” about moving deadlines and meetings. While Mother LA doesn’t have any shoots in January, it has plenty planned for next month. The indie shop isn’t “making any calls” on those until it has a better idea of “how this is all going to play out,” a spokesperson said. “We’ve all watched businesses we love, bars we’ve drank at and restaurants we’ve been to, burn. Watching the news when the places you know are on the news, and on fire, is surreal,” Cohen said. “More than anything, there is just a heaviness and an overwhelming sadness as we watch our city burn and people’s lives and homes and livelihoods destroyed.” “Beyond logistics, we recognize the human element at the heart of this crisis,” said Deutsch’s de la Maza. “The collective anxiety and sadness surrounding these events are palpable. … This moment reminds us that production isn’t just about delivering the work—it’s about taking care of the people who make it all possible.” That sadness is being felt well beyond L.A., as agency and production people across the country check in with L.A. friends and colleagues. “The first priority has been making sure our people are safe and have places to go,” said Jackie Bisbee, co-founder and executive producer of Park Pictures, who is based in New York. “I’m sure other production companies are doing what they can to help. Our crews are going to need help. They’re going to need a business to come back to.” “It’s just so devastating and horrific, it’s hard to wrap my head around it,” said Orlee Tatarka, head of production at Wieden+Kennedy, who is based in Portland, Oregon, but visits L.A. often for shoots. “My heart goes out to everyone. We will rally around not just the businesses but the people affected to help rebuild and recover.” The impact on CES Executives attending CES in Las Vegas were keeping a close eye on events 250 miles to the southwest. Some executives from L.A. have dropped out of panels and left the tech conference to tend to their homes and be with their families, said a Monks spokesperson in Las Vegas. “It’s impossible to have a conversation at CES ’25 that doesn’t touch on the realities and tragedy that is happening across the state border in California,” said Kate Richling, chief marketing officer at Monks. “The sentiment and tone of the conference is definitely different this year.” Several employees at S4 Capital, Monks’ parent company, have lost their homes, said James Kinney, the company’s global chief people officer. S4 Capital has provided mental health, lodging and transportation resources for affected employees, Kinney added. Contributing: Erika Wheless

LA wildfires—how the city’s ad industry is coping with the disaster

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