Ed note: How can we make Sierra County more attractive to the film industry?
It’s no secret that in New Mexico’s dismal economic climate, the making of movies and television shows is a bright spot, one that should be promoted. Thus, the film business alliance. Just last fiscal year, the film business brought in $390 million and supported more than 17,000 jobs. The spin-off of all that activity has resulted in the creation of some 350 vendor and service businesses in the state. Matt Rauchberg (Pacifica Ventures/ABQ Studios/alliance) puts it like this: “No industry spends money in as many sectors as the film industry.”
But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The film industry impacts people in many other walks of life. There’s the electrician who wires the sets, or the coffee company that takes piping-hot drinks to the set as shooting stretches past midnight. In colleges and universities, more students are studying how to make movies, whether learning to work on crews or to direct the finished product. Our schools have changed because of this industry, adapting quickly so that New Mexicans can benefit from this thriving, clean industry.