Entertainment and media companies are significant H1B employers, particularly in Los Angeles and New York. Here are the salary benchmarks:
**Netflix (Los Gatos, CA / Los Angeles):** Software Engineer: $295,000–$425,000 (Netflix is famous for top-of-market cash compensation). Data Engineer: $285,000–$395,000. ML Engineer: $295,000–$415,000. H1B filings: 1,200+/year. Netflix pays salary only — no equity (they pay above-market cash instead).
**Walt Disney Company (Burbank, CA / Orlando):** Software Engineer: $148,000–$225,000. Data Scientist: $155,000–$235,000. Platform Engineer: $168,000–$245,000. H1B filings: 800+/year.
**NBCUniversal (New York / Los Angeles):** Software Engineer: $138,000–$198,000. Data Engineer: $145,000–$208,000. H1B filings: 600+/year.
**Warner Bros Discovery (New York):** Software Engineer: $142,000–$205,000. Data Scientist: $148,000–$218,000. ML Engineer: $158,000–$228,000.
**Snap (Santa Monica, CA):** Software Engineer: $195,000–$295,000. ML Engineer: $208,000–$315,000. H1B filings: 600+/year.
**Key insight:** Entertainment tech typically offers lower salaries than pure tech companies (Google, Meta) but provides unique career leverage — experience at Netflix, Disney, or Snap gives access to unique ML/recommendation algorithm problems at massive scale. Green card sponsorship is generally strong at major studios.