NEW MEXICOS MOTTO, “CRESCIT EUNDO/IT GROWS AS IT GOES,” REFLECTS THE STATES PROGRESS AS A HUB FOR FILM AND TV PRODUCTION.

INTERVIEW BY LISA Y. GARIBAY AND ADRIAN GOMEZ 

From Produced By Magazine

The first film ever shot in the American West was 1898’s Indian Day School, filmed on New Mexico’s Isleta Pueblo by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. Since then, the state has consistently been featured on screens large and small, in productions ranging from mayonnaise commercials to 2023’s Oppenheimer.

The state’s status as a well-appointed, go-to hub began to rise after hosting major productions like Marvel’s The Avengers and the highly acclaimed series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. More recently, New Mexico has played host to Showtime’s The Curse, Peacock’s Poker Face, Netflix’s Ransom Canyon and Stranger Things, Amazon’s Outer Range, Fox’s The Cleaning Lady, Apple’s The Lost Bus and A24’s Eddington.

The state offers more than 300 days of sunshine annually and terrain from pine forests to vast, open deserts. While New Mexico’s latitude classifies it as a southern state, high elevations like Wheeler Peak’s 13,161 feet mean that many parts of the state experience all four seasons. Depending on the location, production in summer can be cool while production during winter may be sunny and bright.

Looking beyond the weather, it’s clear that the Land of Enchantment—as New Mexico is nicknamed—possesses the investments, infrastructure, financial incentives and expert crew to be a driving force within the film and TV industry.

THE STATE New Mexico became the first U.S. state with a film commission in 1968. Since then, the state film office has built up a suite of resources for out-of-state productions, including a locations database and a directory of New Mexico businesses that have experience working with the film industry, from hospitality to accounting to props. The state’s film liaison network links productions to knowledgeable representatives who are available to assist with locations and permitting in specific locales.

AMC’s lauded series Dark Winds has just wrapped its third season in New Mexico. When the show began production in and around the Navajo Nation in 2021, director and executive producer Chris Eyre said, “There is no better community or location that could properly serve the authentic storytelling, look, and feel necessary for Dark Winds. This was our first and only choice, and we’re overwhelmed with the abundance of phenomenal talent and crew we are able to work alongside here.”

New Mexico native Melanie Kirk has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, with producing credits that include. The Harder They Fall, The Terminal List and Nickelodeon’s The Really Loud House. “I’ve been able to double New Mexico for almost anywhere in the world—Boston, Austin, Australia, Arab countries—all because we have these unique locations,” Kirk says. “We have forests, deserts and back alleys. I can make any location happen in New Mexico.” “Going from episodic to feature film goes hand-in-hand,” she adds. “New Mexico offers me the flexibility to accomplish both types of projects.”

THE SAVINGS Producer and educator Mateo Frazier emphasizes another major selling point for New Mexico: The cost of doing business is lower. Pricing for studio space is thousands of dollars cheaper than filming in Los Angeles or Atlanta. “Filming in New Mexico helps us meet our goals monetarily,” Frazier says. “We’re able to get more bang for our buck.” The state’s streamlined permitting process also benefits the budget. “We’re able to move through cities quickly without too much hassle. If we can film many locations throughout a shoot day, that saves us money,” Frazier adds.

In 2019, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham successfully spearheaded legislation to expand the incentive program and propel the state’s film industry forward, including establishing official state film partnerships with Netflix, NBCUniversal and 828 Productions, all of whom have committed to doing business in New Mexico for at least a decade.

New Mexico offers a 25 to 40% refundable tax credit on eligible expenses, including resident cast and crew salaries and eligible purchases from New Mexico businesses. The state’s 25% base credit applies to films (including shorts), TV projects (including pilots), commercials, animation, video games, webisodes, music videos, informercials, mobile apps and even stand-alone postproduction.

An additional 5% tax credit is available if certain criteria are met when filming a television series or a pilot. Another 5% tax credit is available for using qualified production facilities, of which there are more than 20 throughout the state.

A 10% tax credit—also known as a rural uplift—is available for qualified expenditures in New Mexico areas at least 60 miles beyond the Santa Fe and Albuquerque city halls. The Nonresident Below the Line Crew (NRCE) program in New Mexico offers a tax credit equal to 15% of wages paid to certain below-the-line crew members who are not residents of New Mexico and who contribute directly to the production of films or commercial audiovisual projects in the state.