Record Breaking Year For New Mexico
In fiscal year 2021, despite the global shutdown of production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Mexico Film Office has recorded an estimated $623 million in direct spend by film and television productions, breaking all previous records for the state.
An estimated 9,000 New Mexicans work in the industry with an average wage of over $56,000 annually. In FY2021, approximately 75% of total below-the-line crew were N.M. residents, including, 4,559 New Mexico crew, 1,374 New Mexico cast members, and 13,538 New Mexico background and extras employed by productions registered with the New Mexico Film Office.
It is estimated that 40% of production budgets are spent on procuring goods and services from New Mexico businesses, including catering businesses, hardware stores, car rental companies, sign makers, dry cleaners, art galleries, glaziers, and more. In addition, property owners who list their property as a film location are discovering the industry can provide an additional revenue stream.
Although production was halted for approximately one quarter of the fiscal year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state still saw 69 productions, 26 film, 24 television, and 19 additional media productions since returning to set in September 2020.
Notable New Mexico productions include NBCUniversal’s MacGruber, Netflix’s The Harder They Fall, Sony’s Better Call Saul, Warner Bros.’ Roswell, New Mexico, and Amazon Studios and Plan B Entertainment’s Outer Range….
NJ Hosts Mayim Bialik's Directorial Debut
North Jersey locations were used for the upcoming dramatic feature As Sick as They Made Us, the story of a divorced mom trying to make peace with her dysfunctional family as she gets a second chance at love. Produced by Anne Clements and Ash Christian, As Sick as They Made Us marks the screenwriting and directorial debut of actress Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory). Bialik brought an all-star cast to New Jersey, including her Big Bang co-star Simon Helberg, Dianna Agron (Glee), Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, and Charlie Weber. The movie was filmed on locations in Belleville, Clifton, Elmwood Park, Lyndhurst, and Rutherford.
“Film production continues to flourish in our state,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “The Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program, breathtaking diversity of film locations and deep talent pool combine to make New Jersey a premier destination for prestigious feature films such as this.”
Motion picture and television production in New Jersey has increased dramatically since the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act took effect in 2018. In 2019, film and television production generated more than $420 million for the state economy and created thousands of jobs….
Oregon Boosts Diversity
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has signed a bill into law which mandates that all projects participating in the Oregon Production Investment Fund need to have a written Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy, make good faith efforts to hire according to that policy, report hiring data, and have a written and enactable procedure for the reporting of discrimination and/or harassment at their places of work.
The Oregon Production Investment Fund offers qualifying film or TV productions spending more than $1 million in Oregon such incentives as a 20% cash rebate on production-related goods and services paid to Oregon vendors, and a 10% cash rebate of payroll wages paid for work done in Oregon….
