MovieMaker Magazine names Albuquerque No. 2 big city to live and work as a filmmaker

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

“When I started back in ‘08, work was predominantly more seasonal,” said Ryan Halsey, owner of Serious Grippage & Light Co. in Albuquerque. “If 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.”

Now, filmmaking and film-adjacent jobs in the Land of Enchantment can be full-time pursuits — something Halsey attributes to New Mexico’s base tax credit 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’s film tax incentive is just one of the reasons why three of its largest cities consistently rank high among MovieMaker Magazine’s annual list of the top places to live and work as a moviemaker in North America — a trend that continued in this year’s rankings, which were released on Wednesday.

Albuquerque claimed the No. 2 spot for big cities in 2026, dropping from the No. 1 title it held last year. This year’s top spot went to Toronto, making Albuquerque the highest-ranked United States city on this year’s list.

“We’re competing with cities a lot bigger than us, so it’s always a sense of pride for us that we can compete with the big guys and still be seen,” said Cyndy McCrossen, a liaison for the Albuquerque Film Office.

Albuquerque 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’s 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’s 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.

“It’s a testament to the resources that we have here,” said Santa Fe Film Commissioner Jennifer LaBar-Tapia, touting the city’s nine sound stages, Western sets, natural landscapes and training programs as the foundation for “a really strong film ecosystem in the Santa Fe region.”

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

“People are starting to take notice of Las Cruces in our film industry here, so I think that’s a great thing,” said Film Las Cruces liaison Andrew Jara, highlighting the region’s warm weather, quick permitting and growing infrastructure.

This year marks Albuquerque’s eighth consecutive year in the top five of MovieMaker Magazine’s 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 Albuquerque as “a community of creators, artists and storytellers.”

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 Albuquerque’s “charming airport,” 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 Albuquerque as the filming site for several of his hit creations, including “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul” and Apple TV’s currently most-watched series, “Pluribus.”

“The number one answer for why I keep coming back is because of the crew,” Gilligan said in a statement. “They’re friends and family, and they are wonderful. The best crew I’ve ever worked with.”

Another series returning to the Land of Enchantment this year, according to LaBar-Tapia, is season five of AMC’s “Dark Winds,” 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.

“We like to say that Las Cruces is a home of independent film because we’re able to make any kind of project,” Jara said. “To me, that’s what makes Las Cruces special — 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.”

Independent filmmakers are also a key ingredient to Santa Fe’s 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.

“One thing about New Mexico is we’ve been consistent,” LaBar-Tapia said. “We'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.”

McCrossen agreed, saying the film industry has seen ups and downs for as long as she’s worked in it. While a magazine ranking can’t 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.

“We’re going to be here riding the crest again,” McCrossen said, “and being consistent to an industry that’s really fickle.”

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