sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Film work in New Mexico looks a lot different than it did a decade ago.

鈥淲hen I started back in 鈥�08, work was predominantly more seasonal,鈥� said Ryan Halsey, owner of Serious Grippage & Light Co. in sa国际传媒官网网页入口. 鈥淚f you worked in film, you basically had a second craft you relied on for the fall and winter, whether it was going back to framing houses or laying drywall.鈥�

Now, filmmaking and film-adjacent jobs in the Land of Enchantment can be full-time pursuits 鈥� something Halsey attributes to New Mexico鈥檚 of 25% for productions filmed in the state. The credit can reach as high as 40% with uplifts, some of which are accessed by filming in rural areas.

The state鈥檚 film tax incentive is just one of the reasons why three of its largest cities consistently rank high among MovieMaker Magazine鈥檚 in North America 鈥� a trend that continued in this year鈥檚 rankings, which were released on Wednesday.

sa国际传媒官网网页入口 claimed the No. 2 spot for big cities in 2026, dropping from the No. 1 title it held . This year鈥檚 top spot went to Toronto, making sa国际传媒官网网页入口 the highest-ranked United States city on this year鈥檚 list.

鈥淲e鈥檙e competing with cities a lot bigger than us, so it鈥檚 always a sense of pride for us that we can compete with the big guys and still be seen,鈥� said Cyndy McCrossen, a liaison for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Film Office.

sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and other New Mexico cities continue to rank high on the list, even as the state reels from the impact of a nationwide film downturn, driven by a decline in production volume and spending over the last three years. The lull is the result of Writers Guild of America strikes in 2023 and increased international competition and foreign incentives pulling productions overseas.

Even so, local film leaders say they expect New Mexico鈥檚 film activity to slowly pick up this year and for the state to further its identity as a film hub.

Santa Fe again topped MovieMaker Magazine鈥檚 list of the best smaller cities or towns to live and work as a moviemaker, a ranking the City Different has held for four years in a row.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a testament to the resources that we have here,鈥� said Santa Fe Film Commissioner Jennifer LaBar-Tapia, touting the city鈥檚 nine sound stages, Western sets, natural landscapes and training programs as the foundation for 鈥渁 really strong film ecosystem in the Santa Fe region.鈥�

Las Cruces, which ranked No. 8 for smaller cities last year, climbed two spots to No. 6 this year.

鈥淧eople are starting to take notice of Las Cruces in our film industry here, so I think that鈥檚 a great thing,鈥� said Film Las Cruces liaison Andrew Jara, highlighting the region鈥檚 warm weather, quick permitting and growing infrastructure.

This year marks sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 eighth consecutive year in the top five of MovieMaker Magazine鈥檚 annual rankings; the city held the No. 1 spot for five of those years. The rankings are always pleasing but not surprising to McCrossen, who described sa国际传媒官网网页入口 as 鈥渁 community of creators, artists and storytellers.鈥�

Some of the factors the magazine considers when creating the annual list are tax incentives, production spending, workforce depth, infrastructure, surveys, costs of living, and proximity to other film locations, schools and festivals.

The magazine highlighted sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 鈥渃harming airport,鈥� its versatility to play itself or pose as other places in the world, commitments from Netflix and NBCUniversal, the availability of Local Economic Development Act funds for qualified production facility builds and a cost of living below the national average as some of the reasons why the city is ideal for filmmakers.

A quality local crew base is why filmmaker Vince Gilligan chose sa国际传媒官网网页入口 as the filming site for several of his hit creations, including 鈥淏reaking Bad,鈥� 鈥淏etter Call Saul鈥� and Apple TV鈥檚 currently most-watched series, 鈥淧luribus.鈥�

鈥淭he number one answer for why I keep coming back is because of the crew,鈥� Gilligan said in a statement. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e friends and family, and they are wonderful. The best crew I鈥檝e ever worked with.鈥�

Another series returning to the Land of Enchantment this year, according to LaBar-Tapia, is season five of AMC鈥檚 鈥淒ark Winds,鈥� largely filmed in Santa Fe County and northern New Mexico.

The southern part of the state managed to stay busy last year by leaning into its independent film scene, Jara said. Las Cruces welcomed a steady level of production every month, including some foreign productions from Germany and Finland.

鈥淲e like to say that Las Cruces is a home of independent film because we鈥檙e able to make any kind of project,鈥� Jara said. 鈥淭o me, that鈥檚 what makes Las Cruces special 鈥� is that if you have a dream and a film, you can come and make it whether you have a small budget or a big budget.鈥�

Independent filmmakers are also a key ingredient to Santa Fe鈥檚 film environment, LaBar-Tapia said, in addition to continued investment in local infrastructure, including a planned Midtown Studios development and a city landscaped back lot planned for Santa Fe Community College.

鈥淥ne thing about New Mexico is we鈥檝e been consistent,鈥� LaBar-Tapia said. 鈥淲e've been consistent with our incentives, we've been consistent with continuing to grow infrastructure (and) we've been consistent with our training programs. That stability is important to those decision-makers when they're trying to figure out where it is they're going to take their next production.鈥�

McCrossen agreed, saying the film industry has seen ups and downs for as long as she鈥檚 worked in it. While a magazine ranking can鈥檛 fix a downturn, McCrossen said recognition of the art-friendly environment she, local film offices and local creators have built helps New Mexico stand out in the long game.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be here riding the crest again,鈥� McCrossen said, 鈥渁nd being consistent to an industry that鈥檚 really fickle.鈥�

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.