EXCLUSIVE: When it’s time to get serious, it never hurts to have Saul Goodman in your corner — especially on Emmy night, especially if you’re aiming to be the next Mayor of L.A.
That’s exactly what Nithya Raman is doing tonight with Bob Odenkirk-voiced campaign ad set to drop right before the local NBC affiliate’s broadcast of TV’s biggest night.
Promising that the current Councilmember will “fight to keep Hollywood in Hollywood,” the slick 30-second spot leans right into the ceremony itself with a For Your Consideration vibe and theme. It’s right there in the first words spoken by two-time Emmy winner Odenkirk: “For your consideration: A mayor who loves L.A. as much as we do.”
Take at Raman’s Emmy-ish ad here:
“Los Angeles has so many eager, skilled people who want to work in our industry– we deserve a city and leaders who fight to achieve the conditions to make that work happen,” longtime Raman supporter Odenkirk told Deadline today of putting his mouth literally where his donor dollars have been going.
Having survived a something bruising primary against incumbent Karen Bass and Hills alum Spencer Pratt, Raman in July scored the second run-off spot for the November election. A vocal opponent of Paramount’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery, Raman has made the exodus of jobs and production from Hollywood in recent years a core issue in what was once a long longshot bid for the big City Hall chair. First elected in 2020 in an upset race, Raman remains behind Bass in the Mayoral polls, but has seen an uptick as the campaign has kicked into post-summer high-gear.
With a national film and TV tax credit now being backed by both Donald Trump and Democrats like Sen Adam Schiff (D-CA) to help the industry, which has lost over 50,000 jobs over the past six years, Raman’s Tinseltown focus (and a plan she released in the spring) has taken centerstage.
Set for KNBC’s newscast and the Today Show Tuesday morning, the release of today’s big swing ad, the spouse of 30 Rock producer Vali Chandrasekaran wants to put the topic of Tinseltown’s crisis, as well as issues of affordability and potholes, right in front of Angelenos watching TV tonight.
“The entertainment industry isn’t just the creative engine of Los Angeles, it’s an economic engine for the entire city. Film and television production supports restaurants, dry cleaners, hardware stores, hotels, prop houses, rental yards, post-production shops and thousands of small businesses,” Raman said to Deadline this morning..
“City Hall should be fighting every day to keep those jobs here, instead of watching passively as Hollywood is hollowed out,” she added. “As mayor, I will make Los Angeles a place where productions can stay, workers can build stable careers and the next generation of storytellers can afford to live.”
Hosted by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, the78th Primetime Emmy Awards airs live Monday from DTLA on NBC and and Peacock at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
