Los Angeles, 6/10

The buzz is fair to good on the West Coast. It's a notch busier this month, yet production still isn't a given.

"Considering it's been a rollercoaster year, and hearing how slow it is, we're happy with the flow," reports one small prodco principal. "We're bidding and receiving boards for many of our directors."

One factor affecting flow is the usual end-of-year rush, and quick turnarounds seem to be requested in a lot of camps.

"It's getting hectic," says a well-known production cat. "One client needs a treatment now, the budget for the job tomorrow [to award the job] and casting the day after."

Another element causing the landscape to appear busy is the higher number of film and TV projects currently being shot. Numbers indicate shoot days for commercials as being moderate in the LA region with feature projects providing the eye-candy to fill the commercial gaps.

"It's busy right now and I'm enjoying the business," adds a respected prodco source on the scene. "For us it went from steady two weeks ago to crazy right now."

As a result, boards are all over the map with everything from cars to electronics to alcoholic beverages spitting out from production faxes.

"It's been a start-and-stop time lately," adds another exec on business. "Sometimes you're nuts and then it slows down to nothing. It's clear a lot of jobs are being awarded outside of LA at the moment - it's just a matter of accepting the flow when it finally comes."

Toronto, 5/10

Fear about terrorism and war (same thing, no?) generated by the North American media has Canadians realizing the extent to which they rely on the Yankee teat. "[US] nationalistic fervor has kept things at home and they're not as concerned with the dollar," said one Hogtown prodco head.

Indeed, most have noticed a drop off in business from the south, but no one seems overly concerned, or surprised. Perhaps the impact of nesting neighbors would be a worry if board flow weren't as good as it is.

"There's light at the end of the proverbial tunnel," said one producer, citing a glut of recent beer boards as well as pharmaceuticals and food as the predominate options this month.

"There have been a lot of cutbacks, but we've learned to diversify," says one pundit.

"You have to know how to navigate rough waters," observed one seasoned producer. "If you're sitting on your laurels and not thinking progressively, you're not going to survive."

New York, 6/10

It's with a sigh of relief and excitement in their voices that New York production peeps relay the news: board flow is up.

"Board flow has been healthy. I feel like every one of our directors has work," says one producer.

And for a pleasant change, that sentiment is echoed across the board.

"It's been pretty steady, and it's not from just a few agencies either," says a rep. "And we're starting to see new product categories again."