Hollywood Studios’ D.C. Lobbying Blitz: Who’s Spending What in Washington

Hollywood has long wielded both quiet and overt influence in the nation’s capital. The themes and stories in its films and TV shows can change popular culture and opinion, while the companies that produce those projects use their money and access to secure favorable policy from lawmakers.

Last year, however, marked a sea change in how the entertainment business lobbies: Artificial intelligence-spurred disruption, the surprise tariffs (President Trump’s “Liberation Day” and his Hollywood attempts at keeping production in the U.S.) and other geopolitical complexifiers have been top of mind for the major studios. While filings reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter show that traditional lobbying focal points like tax policy and copyright law were a constant across every company in the ecosystem, more timely topics also took center stage.

According to multiple sources in the lobbying and public policy space, Hollywood firms and their Big Tech competitors poured…