Albuquerque Lands Starring Role as Filming Venue
Published Feb 05, 2010
Albuquerque’s exploding film and television business is generating top rankings, big bucks and lots of talk in the movie industry, thanks to an aggressive state incentives program, the development of the $91.4 million Albuquerque Studios and dependable, world-class support services.
“Albuquerque – who knew?” says Ann Lerner, film liaison for the city’s economic development department. “This industry is creating jobs and investment, with an annual economic impact of more than $400 million in direct spending over the last six years to the greater Albuquerque area.”
All of that activity has earned Albuquerque the top spot as the nation’s best locale to film and live in the winter issue of MovieMaker, topping Los Angeles. Variety placed Albuquerque third, just behind LA and New York, for its visual appeal, film office support, production resources, incentives and ability to substitute for another location. It’s not uncommon to see acting notables such as Denzel Washington or George Clooney walking down the city’s streets. In 2009, 24 film and television productions used Albuquerque as a base, including Book of Eli, Dryland and The Spy Next Door.
So many independent filmmakers are now calling Albuquerque home that they’ve formed a group called IndieQ, where they regularly exchange ideas and collaborate on projects.
New Mexico boasts the largest crew base – more than 3,000 skilled workers – outside LA and New York, thanks to its statewide employee-training program and one of the most generous tax incentives in the nation.
Scenic choices ranging from white desert sands to forested mountains, a short 90-minute flight to Los Angeles and the state’s 25 percent tax credit on all production expenditures made in the state have spurred a heavy production slate.
Albuquerque is a willing partner in working with this economic engine, says Lerner. “We work with the production companies, expediting their permitting, closing off city blocks when necessary, securing housing for their crews and helping them scout for locations,” she says.
Film companies aren’t just producing movies in the Duke City; they’re also relocating to this movie mecca. Reelz Channel, a network about making movies, moved its headquarters to the Albuquerque Studios campus in 2009. Filmmaker Production Services, a subsidiary of NBC/Universal, has opened a 25,000-square-foot prop and costume shop on Broadway Boulevard.
Further animating the local movie landscape is the location of a Sony Pictures Imageworks branch office in downtown Albuquerque’s Qwest building, which created 50 local jobs in the dynamic digital production and character animation industry.
The full-service Albuquerque Studios, with eight adaptable sound stages, is making its mark in movie and television production, filming such blockbusters as Book of Eli, Terminator Salvation and Breaking Bad.
Nick Smerigan, chief operating officer, says the ease of doing business in Albuquerque made his choice an easy one when it came to constructing this state-of-the-art facility. “The weather is nice most of the time, it’s great terrain, the incentives package is really, really good and the state’s administration of that package is one of the best in the world,” he says.
Story by Betsy Williams
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