Conversations with Jennifer Freed

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Freed.

Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve spent more than four decades in the business of making films. I started as a production accountant and went on to found Trevanna Post, a post-production accounting company with offices in Los Angeles, New York and London. Much of our work centers on film tax credit programs, which gave me a front-row seat to how incentives shape where films get made, and where they get finished.

While living in New York, in 2009, I co-founded the Post New York Alliance to give the city’s post-production community a collective voice. The whole industry saw what happened: lawmakers understood what a good business tax incentives were, and the work followed, surpassing everyone’s expectations.

Meanwhile, I watched California steadily lose post-production work to other states. In 2024 alone, California lost nearly $200 million in post-production business to New York. Those weren’t abstract numbers. They were jobs, companies and careers.

So in 2025, we co-founded the California Post Alliance, bringing together picture, sound, music, finishing and VFX professionals with studios and unions around a shared goal: keeping post-production work in California.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has way more ups than downs, but it was difficult to do in such a short time.

Post-production isn’t one industry but many: editors, sound, music, finishing and VFX, each with different priorities. Uniting them took a lot of listening and some tough negotiations. We also had to teach lawmakers why post-production needed its own incentive.

Even with legislative support, funding wasn’t guaranteed. Our members made calls, wrote letters and showed up, and the bill was signed with $10 million in funding. For a brand-new, volunteer-driven organization, that was an extraordinary result. We will now continue to request more funding with the new governor.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Today, CAPA has joined forces with the Post New York Alliance to form the USA Post Alliance, and we’re bringing our voice to the federal conversation on film incentives. What began as a local fight has become a national movement, and I couldn’t be prouder of the community that made it happen.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
CAPA has always been a team effort.

As co-founders, Marielle Abaunza, Karen Baker Landers and I have been partners in every part of this work. For more than 18 months, we’ve talked nearly every day, often several times a day. Our 17 founding members took a leap of faith on a brand-new organization, and everyone contributed from their skill sets and connections.

Our lobbyist, Alberto Torrico, guided us through Sacramento with skill and patience, and helped a group of post-production professionals learn to speak the language of policy.

Finally, none of this would exist without our author, Assemblymember Nick Schultz, and his team. He believed in AB 2319 from the start, and passionately carried it through every step of the legislative process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://californiapostalliance.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/californiapostalliance/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/california-post-alliance/posts/