Film and TV production in the Hudson Valley has come to a standstill as actors and writers continue to be on strike.

Echoes are all you can hear inside Kingston Studios these days. That’s because members of the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, are on strike with their Writers Guild of America counterparts.

“Striking is a positive thing, I think. I feel good to live in a place where people can effectively change things that aren't working for them anymore,” said Stacey Cormier Major, a member of the Directors Guild, an assistant director and stage manager of Kingston Studios.

On a normal day, her phone is ringing nonstop, but right now, all she’s getting is silence.

“I think fortunately or unfortunately, we're in a position where I’m stage managing and trying to think outside the box a little bit and change my role in the industry and find something that's a little bit more sustainable,” Cormier Major said.

Her jobs are freelance, and she’s finding herself feeling the collateral fallout from the strike. When there are no shows to direct, Cormier Major isn’t getting much of a paycheck. Her husband is also an assistant director, making things particularly tough now.

“There are long periods where work isn't happening, where shows are not shooting and people rely on those residuals to get them to the next one, so it's their livelihood,” Cormier Major said.

Laurent Rejto, executive director of the Hudson Valley Film Commission, said he has seen the industry go through some tough times in recent years — first with COVID-19, then what he said was an uncompetitive tax environment for production in the state.

“It makes me sad, considering all the problems that we've gone through for three years,” Rejto said. “We're all ready to conquer the world and bring all these films and shows back to New York, and this happens, so it's kind of maddening.”

The situation is also affecting the area. Rejto said local crew and cast members were laid off. The companies were using local vendors, hotels and restaurants, he added.

One local hotel that regularly hosts crews told Spectrum News 1 that its rooms are running vacant these days, and the strike is having a significant impact on the local hospitality industry. They said normally one to two productions stay there each quarter.

“These are drivers. They're carpenters. They're hair and makeup people,” Rejto said. “These are people who live down the street from you. They send their kids to the same schools, and they volunteer at the fire department. These are locals, and we need to keep those people employed.”

In the meantime, Cormier Major is being optimistic.

“As long as both sides can come to terms with that, I think that we can get up and running again and get to a place where everyone's comfortable,” Cormier Major said.

Although it’s unknown how long the strike will last, Rejto said there is talk that SAG-AFTRA will start giving waivers to some films, so some are hopeful some production may return.