For filmmakers around the world, Los Angeles offers unique opportunities, but understanding how to navigate the logistics is essential. Join us for a conversation with FilmLA on the permitting process, available resources, and best practices for productions of all sizes.
Attendees will gain insight into how to approach planning, work with local systems, work with local systems, and make the most of what the city has to offer. The discussion will also explore how recent film-permitting reforms impact permits, available resources, and the overall production planning.
Denise Gutches
FilmLA
Donna Washington
FilmLA
About Denise Gutches:
Denise Gutches is the Chief Executive Officer of FilmLA and has been with the organization since 2011, previously serving as Chief Financial and Operating Officer. She also served as interim CFO from 2004 to 2005, restructuring the finance and accounting departments and helping establish key Board-level financial and governance policies.
Denise has 37 years of experience in finance, operations, board governance, and strategy development. Her background includes running her own consulting practice for more than 12 years, serving as CFO/COO for two mid-size organizations, and managing large-scale construction projects ranging from $16 million to $100 million. Earlier in her career, she worked with Deloitte & Touche on change management and strategic initiatives for clients including Nissan Motors Corporation, Zero Corporation, Trust Company of the West, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
At FilmLA, Denise leads organizational strategy, operations, financial management, government affairs, human resources, IT, administration, and risk management. Under her leadership, FilmLA launched MyFilmLA in 2021, maintained clean independent audits since 2011, and completed office relocations in 2014 and 2024, with the 2024 move producing more than $600,000 in annual savings. Denise is also an active speaker on risk management, governance, and financial oversight, and she holds a B.A. in Business Administration with High Honors from California State University, Fullerton. She also serves in leadership and board roles with several community organizations.
About Donna Washington:
Donna Washington is Vice President of External Affairs at FilmLA. In this role, she and her team work to ensure the fair balance to support the film industry, the communities in which they film and meet the needs of their customer jurisdictions. She has been a key leader and contributor at FilmLA. since its inception in July of 1995.
When the City and County of Los Angeles merged and privatized their respective film permit offices in 1995, Donna was one of two employees from the City of Los Angeles to staff the newly created film permit office, which later became FilmLA. Donna worked tirelessly to help streamline the film permit process, learned the complexities of negotiating with government departments with the needs of the film industry and gained valuable experience in mediating disputes between production companies and communities. She has maintained great working relationships with supervisors/managers within City and County departments and acts as a trusted advisor on a broad range of key filming issues. Her longevity and intimate knowledge about all facets of on-location film production have led her to be respected and trusted by community and industry representatives alike. She has spent over thirty years building, maintaining, and balancing the needs of the City and County, the community, and the industry.
In her current role, Donna is providing leadership in the planning, direction, and execution of effective programs that foster a positive and productive relationship with government clients, key stakeholders in film, television, and commercial production. She is responsible for amplifying and advancing the work being done to advocate for film production at the local level, broaden and expand FilmLA’s brand and reputation, expansion and adoption of the Model Film Ordinance, and advance the priorities of its clients and customers through broader understanding and engagement.
Donna has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in Political Science and currently resides in Long Beach with her husband, Rodney.
IMPORTANT DETAILS:
This panel will take place virtually over ZOOM. Ticket purchasers will receive a ZOOM link to this panel 2 hours before the published start time. If you don’t already have the ZOOM app, please make sure to download on your device before the panel start time.
If you purchase an All-Access Pass for our April Festival events prior to the date of this panel, you will also receive admission to this virtual panel, included as part of your pass.
If you are a current Annual Member of NFMLA, please email info@nfmla.org to receive a complimentary ticket to this panel. If you are not an Annual Member of NFMLA and would like to join, you can become a member here.
