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For most of the last decade, the smart money in production went looking for the biggest rebate, and a lot of that money left the country. Crews I came up with spent years chasing jobs to Vancouver, Toronto, London, and Budapest because that is where the incentives were richest. In 2026 the current has started to reverse. Productions are coming back to American soil, and it is not sentiment driving it. It is policy, economics, and a box office that finally has a pulse again. Here is what is actually happening across the three markets I work in most, and what it means from the back of the truck where the stunt team lives. The Big Picture: Tariffs, Credits, and a Recovering Box Office Two forces are pulling work back stateside at the same time. The first is federal pressure. The Trump administration announced plans for a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States, framing it as a way to claw back the filmmakers and studios that foreign rebates had drawn away, as reported by NBC News and The Hollywood Reporter. Whether that tariff lands exactly as proposed or gets reshaped, it has already changed the math in every studio's budget meeting. When a 30% foreign rebate could be wiped out by a 100% import penalty, the spreadsheet stops favoring London. The second force is the states themselves getting aggressive. California more than doubled its Film and Television Tax Credit Program from $330 million to $750 million a year. New York raised its cap to $800 million. New Jersey now runs $800 million annually with credits up to 40%, and Netflix broke ground on a permanent studio there, according to Entertainment Partners. Texas committed $300 million on a two-year cycle. This is not a few states tinkering, it is a coordinated bet that production jobs are worth fighting for. Underneath all of it, the audience came back. Year-to-date domestic ticket sales are running more than 20% ahead of 2025, with Gower Street Analytics projecting the domestic box office could reach $9.9 billion in 2026, the strongest year since before the pandemic. More greenlit projects plus a tariff threat plus richer domestic credits adds up to one thing for crews like mine: the work is coming home. Atlanta: Still the Engine, Fighting to Stay There Georgia remains the busiest production state outside California, and June backs that up. Roughly 25 projects were listed in production on the Georgia Department of Economic Development's registry this month, a mix of returning series, features, and unscripted work, as tracked by ProjectCasting. The soundstages around Atlanta are not sitting empty. The honest part of the Atlanta story is that the boom has cooled. Direct production spending in Georgia fell from $4 billion in 2022 to roughly $2 billion in 2025, which is why the Georgia Production Partnership Alliance launched a new initiative this spring to defend the state's position, as Rough Draft Atlanta reported. Georgia's uncapped credit built the deepest crew base in the South, and that infrastructure is exactly why work returns here first when budgets reshore. From a stunt coordinator's chair, that depth is the whole game. Atlanta can crew a car rig, a high fall, and a fire burn out of local rosters without flying a single key in. When a show reshores from Canada on a compressed schedule, that ready bench is what makes Atlanta the safe call. Albuquerque: The Clearest Bet on the Future If you want to see what reshoring looks like in concrete and steel, look at Albuquerque. Netflix announced another expansion of its Albuquerque Studios, building on a partnership that has already produced a dozen projects locally, spent over $640 million, and employed more than 4,000 New Mexico residents since 2019, per the New Mexico Economic Development Department. That is not a company hedging its bets on a foreign rebate, that is a permanent footprint. NBCUniversal is making the same wager. The studio committed to an Albuquerque production facility targeting $500 million in direct spending over ten years and more than 330 year-round jobs, with four sound stages projected to open in late 2026, according to the City of Albuquerque. New Mexico has 44 productions registered for the year so far. For stunt work, New Mexico has always punched above its size. The terrain does half the job for you: open desert for vehicle work, real elevation, long sightlines, and the kind of practical landscape that sells a Western or a hard action sequence without a green screen. As a stunt coordinator, I would rather rig a horse gag or a rollover on real New Mexico ground than fake it anywhere. The new stages mean the interiors can finally live in the same zip code as the exteriors. Los Angeles: Home Court Gets Its Edge Back Los Angeles spent years watching its own shows shoot somewhere else. That is changing because California finally answered with money. Governor Newsom's expanded program lifted the annual credit from $330 million to $750 million, and the early returns are real: 147 productions awarded, $5.5 billion in economic activity, and over 21,000 cast and crew jobs, according to the Governor's office. Shows are physically returning. The Baywatch reboot is coming back to California after the original franchise left for Hawaii, and returning series like The Pitt and I Love LA are staying put, as the Governor's office and NBC News reported. Los Angeles was never short on talent, it was short on a reason for the accountants to keep work here. Now there is one. For a stunt coordinator, LA is still the deepest equipment and rigging pool on earth. Every specialty house, every ratchet and air ram, every veteran high-fall and fire performer is within driving distance. When a production reshores to Los Angeles, it is not just buying a tax credit, it is buying the densest concentration of stunt expertise in the world. That combination, real incentive plus unmatched crew, is why LA is climbing back. What It Means Going Forward The throughline across Atlanta, Albuquerque, and Los Angeles is the same. The federal tariff threat raised the cost of leaving, the states raised the reward for staying, and the audience gave studios a reason to make more in the first place. Work that drifted abroad for a decade is finding its way back to American crews who never stopped being the best at this. I coordinate stunts across all three of these markets, and I am seeing the schedules fill in real time. If you are bringing a production home to Atlanta, Albuquerque, or Los Angeles and you need a stunt coordinator who already knows the crews, the terrain, and the safe way to put it on camera, that is the work I do. Reach me through realmccoystunts.com.

As of July 1, 2026, there is a new set of rules on every union set in the country. SAG-AFTRA members ratified the 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement by a landslide, 91.42% to 8.58%, and the four-year deal is now live through June 30, 2030. For anyone working in action, this is not background noise. The contract that governs how stunt performers and stunt coordinators get hired, paid, protected, and scanned just changed, and it changed in ways worth understanding before your next call. Here is a working stunt coordinator's read on what actually landed, and what it means on the ground in Atlanta, Albuquerque, and Los Angeles. The Headline: Human Performance Is Now the Default, In Writing The story most of the coverage led with is artificial intelligence, and for good reason. The 2026 deal builds on the digital replica language from the last contract and tightens it considerably. The core principle, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, is that producers strongly favor human performances. A studio cannot drop a synthetic performer into a role a human or that human's digital replica would otherwise play unless the synthetic brings "significant additional value" to the production. That is not a handshake. The producer has to notify and bargain with SAG-AFTRA and prove the value, and the standard is enforceable through arbitration. For stunt work, that principle matters more than it might for a dialogue scene. Action is exactly the kind of work a studio would love to hand to a machine, a fully digital fall, a synthetic fight, a replica taking the hit so nobody has to book the day. This contract makes that harder and more expensive to do quietly. If a production wants to replace a live stunt performer with a synthetic, it now has a burden to meet, not a blank check. Digital Doubles: Scanning You Is Not the Same as Owning You The digital replica protections got broader in a way that closes real loopholes. Under the new terms, a company needs an "articulable business reason" to scan a performer in the first place. Beyond that, replicas are now protected even when they are built without a scan at all, meaning from ordinary photography, according to reporting from The Wrap and IndieWire. An independently created digital replica has to trigger at least scale compensation and residuals. Using a digital replica to dub a performance into a foreign language now requires separate consent. Minors' digital replicas are off the table entirely. And a replica cannot be used in a way that would sidestep the consent process during a strike. The practical takeaway for any performer: a digital double is treated as its own performance, requiring its own consent and its own compensation. That distinction is the whole ballgame for anyone whose body and capability are the product, and it lands hardest in stunts, which is covered below. What It Means If You Are a Stunt Performer This is the part to read twice, because several of these gains were written for you. First, pay. There are general increases to the schedule break amounts, including for weekly stunt performers, with outsized increases for a newly created schedule break that applies only to stunt performers engaged under a multiple-picture or episode contract. The overtime money breaks in Section 25 of the TV Agreement went up too, again with outsized increases for stunt performers on those weekly multiple-picture engagements. On top of that, per SAG-AFTRA, stunt performers working on multiple episodes of the same season, or parts of the same multi-part closed-end picture, are now paid the same weekly flat rate that applies to theatrical motion pictures. If you work series and streaming, which is most of the volume in Atlanta, that flat-rate parity is real money. Second, residuals. The parties agreed to form a committee to work through mechanisms for possible residuals for "off-camera" stunt performers, and the obstacles to getting there. Be clear-eyed about it: that is a door, not a check. But off-camera stunt residuals have been a long-standing gap, and getting it onto a formal committee is how these things eventually move. Third, and this is the one that protects your career long term, the AI and digital replica language covers you as a performer whose body is the product. A digital double is now treated as its own performance that requires its own consent and its own compensation. Agreeing to a body scan for a visual effects plate does not sign away your likeness for a sequel, a marketing campaign, or a future production. A studio cannot quietly swap a synthetic in for a live stunt performer unless it can prove that synthetic brings "significant additional value," and it has to notify and bargain with SAG-AFTRA to do it. For action work, which is exactly the kind of performance a studio would love to hand to a machine, that is the protection that matters most. What It Means If You Are a Stunt Coordinator The deal creates a multiple picture and episode contract structure that lets a stunt coordinator render services on more than one episode in a given week. The minimum compensation under that engagement is set at the applicable theatrical flat deal minimum and can be negotiated higher. More importantly for the back end, the basis for calculating fixed residuals under that kind of engagement has doubled. It is now built on two day-performer rates, with the possibility of moving to three day-performer rates if on-camera stunt services are rendered as part of the engagement. The contract also adds clarity on prep work, spelling out when a producer owes a coordinator compensation for services on other episodes under a single-picture contract. Anyone who has done unpaid prep that quietly turned into real coordinating work knows why that language matters. Money and Benefits Across the board, the contract delivers a 3% general wage increase in each of its four years, per SAG-AFTRA and LA Mag. The health plan contribution rate rises by 1% starting July 1. And in a structural change that has been a goal since SAG and AFTRA merged back in 2012, the deal creates a pathway to merge the SAG-Producers Pension Plan and the AFTRA Retirement Fund. SAG-AFTRA has put the total value of the improvements north of 700 million dollars. For a career performer, the pension and health movement can matter as much over time as the day rate. The Regional Read: Atlanta, Albuquerque, Los Angeles A national contract lands differently depending on where you shoot. In Atlanta, where episodic and streaming volume drives a huge share of the stunt calls, the multiple-episode coordinator structure and the improved weekly stunt breaks are directly relevant, because so much of that market is week-to-week series work. In Albuquerque, where features and limited series make heavy use of location and practical action, the stronger footing on human performance and digital doubles protects the exact kind of work New Mexico productions are built around. And in Los Angeles, the center of gravity for both the talent and the technology, every one of these provisions gets tested first. LA is where the AI language will either hold or get challenged, and where a stunt coordinator needs to know the rules cold. One More Thing Happening Right Now While the contract took effect, SAG-AFTRA also went public this month urging members, and every Instagram user, to opt out of Meta's new AI image model, which can pull from public accounts to generate synthetic versions of your content, as reported by Variety. It is a reminder that the fight the contract addresses on set does not stop at the studio gate. Your likeness is valuable everywhere, and protecting it is now part of the job. The Bottom Line The 2026 SAG-AFTRA contract is not a revolution, it is a serious step forward, and it is in effect today. Human performance is the protected default, digital doubles come with real consent and compensation, and stunt coordinators picked up structural and residual gains that reward the way this work actually gets done. Knowing this contract is part of doing the job right. If you are staffing action across Atlanta, Albuquerque, or Los Angeles and want a stunt coordinator who understands both the work and the rules that govern it, reach out through realmccoystunts.com.

Los Angeles is coming back online. Slowly, imperfectly, but the numbers are moving in the right direction. Feature film production in LA logged a 52 percent year-over-year increase in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and California's expanded $750 million film and television tax credit is pulling productions back that had been bleeding out to other states for years. Baywatch is returning to California shores. Netflix and Amazon MGM Studios have approved titles shooting in-state. The pipeline is filling. For any production in that pipeline, one of the first calls you need to make is to your stunt coordinator. And before that call, you need to know what you're looking at contractually. SAG-AFTRA governs stunt work on union productions, and the rates and fringe obligations for the current contract period are something every line producer, UPM, and production accountant should have memorized before they start budgeting action. Here is a plain-language breakdown of what the current contracts actually say for stunt performers working in Los Angeles. Current SAG-AFTRA Rates for Stunt Performers (July 2025 to June 2026) The current contract period runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Rates increase again on July 1, 2026, so every budget you build right now should be locked to this window. Stunt Performer (Stunt Double and Utility Stunt) Scale is $1,246 per day under both the Theatrical and Television agreements. Stunt performers are contracted as principal performers, meaning they fall under the same base rate structure as speaking cast. Their day rate, however, is only the floor. Stunt Adjustment Here is where most productions get surprised. When a performer executes a stunt beyond the scope of what was originally negotiated, that work triggers a stunt adjustment, which gets added on top of the base day rate. The adjustment amount is negotiated based on the nature and risk of the stunt, and once agreed to, it becomes part of the performer's base compensation for that day. That adjusted base then flows into overtime, sixth-day premiums, seventh-day premiums, and holiday pay calculations. If you are budgeting action without accounting for stunt adjustments, your budget is wrong. Stunt Coordinator $1,246 per day, or $4,646 per week under a flat deal, for all theatrical agreements. Television rates mirror these figures. On complex productions, coordinators are often brought on weeks before principal photography begins for prep, stunt design, casting stunt performers, and coordinating with the director and DP on shooting methodologies. That prep time is billable. Budget accordingly. Health and Pension (H&P) Fringe 21 percent on all gross wages. This applies to every stunt performer and every stunt coordinator on a SAG-AFTRA production. It is not optional and it is not negotiable. If you have five stunt performers working a four-day action sequence, add 21 percent to every dollar in performer wages before you present that number to a financier. Stunt Driver When the action involves precision driving, the driver classification applies separately. Rates align with the base stunt performer scale, but the stunt adjustment structure for driving work has its own negotiation criteria based on speed, proximity, and risk level. Any production involving car work should have a stunt coordinator who specializes in driving sequences locked in before the stunt driver conversations begin. What This Means for Productions Shooting in Los Angeles Right Now The tax credit surge is real, but it comes with a hiring reality: when production activity increases across the board in a single market, experienced stunt coordinators get booked fast. The Baywatch reboot alone is running 95 shooting days. Netflix's "One Attempt Remaining" and Amazon MGM's "Nightwatching" are both approved and in the pipeline. These are productions pulling from the same pool of experienced stunt professionals based in Los Angeles. Productions that build their stunt budgets using scale minimums and nothing else are the ones that end up scrambling when a coordinator prices the actual work and the numbers do not match what was approved. Scale is a floor, not a market rate. Experienced coordinators with the credits to handle complex action work on a major studio or streaming production earn above scale. Build that into your planning from the start. The other thing Los Angeles productions need to account for in 2026 is prep time. Second unit action sequences, vehicle work, and stunt rigging all require significant setup. A coordinator who is brought on at the last minute cannot deliver the same level of stunt design, performer selection, and safety planning as one who has been in the room during pre-production. The best coordinators are already calendared for the rest of the year. If you are building your 2026 production schedule, now is the time to make contact. Bryan McCoy Is Available in Los Angeles Real McCoy Stunts is currently working in Los Angeles and available for production inquiries. Bryan McCoy is a professional stunt coordinator and stuntman with credits across major studio productions, streaming originals, and second unit work. He works across all three primary production markets, including Atlanta and Albuquerque, but Los Angeles is home base and where RMS is active right now. If you are a production in the current California tax credit cycle, or building a 2026 production schedule that includes action sequences, contact Real McCoy Stunts directly at realmccoystunts.com. The earlier you bring a stunt coordinator into the conversation, the better your budget, your schedule, and your action sequences will be. SAG-AFTRA contact for stunt and safety questions: (323) 549-6855.

Bryan McCoy — Hollywood stunt coordinator for film & TV. Serving LA, Atlanta & Albuquerque. Precision driving, fight choreography, stunt teams. BRYAN MCCOY HOLLYWOOD STUNTMAN REAL MCCOY STUNTS CREDITS REAL MCCOY STUNTS RIGGING COORDINATOR REAL MCCOY STUNTS STUNT COORDINATOR 1/1 CREDITS STUNTS PROJECTS PROJECTS ABOUT ABOUT REAL MCCOY STUNTS Bryan McCoy grew up in a small town, where ranch life and a family legacy of racing fueled his passion for speed and adrenaline. His grandfather helped build the Uranium Speedway, sparking Bryan’s obsession with horsepower before he could walk. Inspired by action films and legends like Evel Knievel, Bryan wasn’t just watching stunts. He was living them. His fearless spirit earned him the nickname "Awful Knaweful " from his father. At 15, he made a bold promise : "One day, my name will shine here." At 19, Bryan moved to Los Angeles. After years of grinding through background roles and small gigs, he earned his SAG card and landed his first major stunt role in 2012. Today, as the founder of Real McCoy Stunts (RMS), Bryan is known as a skilled and versatile stunt professional. Stunt driving is his specialty. From fire burns, high falls, and horse work to rigging and weapons handling, Bryan delivers precision and dedication on every project. His credits include blockbuster films like "The Matrix Resurrections", "Eternals", and "Captain America: Brave New World", as well as hit shows like "Outer Banks", "The Rookie", and "The Last Frontier". He has also coordinated stunts for major music videos, including Machine Gun Kelly's "My Ex's Best Friend". With skills in drifting, off-road driving, ground pounder combat, and fire safety, Bryan continues to push new limits. "Risking it all so your heroes don’t have to." PARTNERS Load more

Hire Bryan McCoy — SAG stunt coordinator & action director for film, TV, and commercials in Atlanta, Albuquerque, and Los Angeles. Available now. Hire a Stunt Coordinator for Film, TV & Commercials Real McCoy Stunts | Bryan McCoy | Atlanta · Los Angeles · Nationwide · New Mexico Professional Stunt Coordination You Can Count On Real McCoy Stunts is a professional stunt coordination and stunt performance company founded by Hollywood stuntman and stunt coordinator Bryan McCoy. With major studio film credits, a proven track record on union productions, and deep roots in Atlanta's thriving film market, Real McCoy Stunts delivers safe, camera-ready action for productions of every scale. Whether you're a first AD pre-production planning, a director developing an action sequence, or a production company sourcing stunt talent, you've found the right team. Major Film Credits Bryan McCoy has worked on productions distributed by major studios including Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. Selected credits include: Captain America: Brave New World (Marvel Studios, 2025) The Matrix Resurrections (Warner Bros., 2021) Renfield (Universal Pictures, 2023) Full credits available on IMDb. Stunt Coordination Services 1 Stunt Coordination Full-service stunt coordination for film, TV, and commercial productions. Bryan McCoy handles stunt design, performer safety, schedule integration, and on-set supervision from pre-production through wrap. 2 Stunt Rigging Precision wire and rigging work for high falls, flying sequences, and specialty gags. Designed in collaboration with production engineers and executed to SAG-AFTRA safety standards. 3 Stunt Driving High-speed vehicle work, precision driving, car hits, and automotive specialty gags for feature film and commercial productions. Available for closed-course and location-based shoots. 4 Fight Choreography Camera-ready fight choreography designed for maximum visual impact. Specializing in hand-to-hand combat, weapon work, and action sequences that read clean on any lens. 5 Fire & Burns Controlled burn sequences, full-body fire burns, and fire gag coordination. All fire work is designed and executed with production safety as the primary objective. 6 High Falls Precision high fall work for building exteriors, interiors, and specialty rigged environments. Experienced in falls from 30+ feet with proper airbag, ratchet, and crash pad setups. Production Markets Served Atlanta & Georgia Real McCoy Stunts is based in the Atlanta metro area and is deeply embedded in Georgia's production ecosystem. Bryan McCoy has worked on productions at Assembly Studios and throughout the region, making Real McCoy Stunts a go-to resource for stunt coordination in one of the busiest film markets in the country. If you're looking for a stunt coordinator in Atlanta or Georgia, you're in the right place. Los Angeles Bryan McCoy maintains an active presence in Los Angeles and is available for studio and independent productions in the LA market. Real McCoy Stunts brings the same level of major studio experience to LA-based productions that has earned credits on Marvel and Warner Bros. features. New Mexico With strong ties to New Mexico's growing production community, Real McCoy Stunts is available for film and television productions shooting in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and throughout the state. Nationwide Real McCoy Stunts travels for production. Wherever your shoot is located across the United States, Bryan McCoy is available to coordinate, perform, and deliver professional stunt work on your timeline. Why Productions Hire Real McCoy Stunts Major studio film credits on Marvel and Warner Bros. productions SAG-AFTRA experience - familiar with union set protocols and performer agreements Full-service coordination: from stunt design in pre-production through on-set execution Available for film, television, commercials, and live events Based in Atlanta with active presence in Los Angeles - no learning curve on either market Direct communication with the coordinator, not an agency middleman Book Bryan McCoy for Your Production Ready to lock in your stunt coordinator? Contact Real McCoy Stunts directly with your project details - shoot dates, location, stunt requirements, and budget range - and Bryan will get back to you fast. Contact STUNT REEL Real McCoy Stunts Play Video All Videos