N A YEAR WHERE NETFLIX
has continued to grow at an
astounding rate, the streaming
platform’s biggest leap was its
deal to open a U.S. production
hub in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The billion
dollar deal—which marks the first time that
Netflix has purchased a production studio
complex—will bring massive amounts of mov-
iemaking to ABQ Studios, in Albuquerque’s
Mesa del Sol. More important, however, is
that the deal is expected to bring an addi-
tional 1,000 jobs per year to the state. Widely
circulated by Netflix around the time of the
deal, this number is, says Alicia Keyes, former
Albuquerque Film Liaison at the Albuquerque
Film Office, a “conservative estimate.”
The consummation of the Netflix deal will
add more consistency to New Mexico’s film
industry, as the company will not only need to
spend a billion dollars over the next 10 years
but, according to Keyes, will need to meet
“certain requirements each year to keep the
facility at a certain level of production spend.”
Keyes’ Albuquerque Film Office and Netflix
will look to keep the stages full, and they’re off
to a good start. They have “already received
a ton of phone calls and inquiries from other
studios that don’t necessarily want to do justMOVIEMAKER.COM WINTER 2019 17CALLBOARD
COURTESY OF ALBUQUERQUE FILM OFFICE
RIGHT ON Q: NETFLIX AND ABQ STUDIOS’ LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP
FORETELLS NEW MEXICO’S FUTURE AS A PRODUCTION POWERHOUSEPICTURES WORTH
A THOUSAND JOBS
Netflix’s blockbuster deal with Albuquerque’s ABQ Studios is poised
to bring in 1,000 new moviemaking jobs per year to New MexicoBY RYAN WILLIAMSone-off movies,” says Keyes.
In fact, New Mexico has already seen a huge
increase in the film industry as a whole—not
just Netflix productions. “Netflix is honoring
the contracts that were already in place with
studios,” Keyes says, clarifying that Netflix
would still be allowing third party studios to
work in these facilties. Companies are looking
to the state for the long haul and, with Netflix
building this new home away from home,
New Mexico is going to see a huge spike in
production. Of course, with that comes an
influx of jobs, and this is exciting news for
moviemakers.
Thanks to the election of film-friendly
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham,
New Mexico’s attractive incentive program
will likely stay in place, and the caps will prob-
ably increase in 2019. A primary benefit will
be the training of New Mexico locals to work
in the industry. Several programs currently in
place to give job opportunities to locals will
be expanding this year, including the S-CAP
(Student Conference Award Program), as well
as apprenticeship programs and highly skilled
trainee programs. One major program to be
implemented is a training program for locals,
which will function as rigorous preparation
for students seeking entry into the film indus-try. According to Keyes, Albuquerque Film
Office has “met with CNM (Central
New Mexico Community College), and UNM
(University of New Mexico), to find ways to
funnel these students into the film industry.”
The question they’re focused on is how these
students can get jobs right out of school. The
Albuquerque Film Office and Netflix are work-
ing with the New Mexico-based film union,
IATSE Local 480, to see what crew positions
are needed. “What we have too many of and
what we don’t have enough of,” Keyes adds.
Keyes anticipates that Netflix jobs will be
available to recent graduates, who will likely
fill the roles of production assistants to get ex-
perience fast. But the ABQ Film Office, in con-
nection with CNM and UNM, are also looking
to set up some advanced training, including
special effects makeup classes and construc-
tion and electrician programs, which will have
a special focus on the film industry.
As Keyes tells MovieMaker, the ultimate
takeaway of the deal has caused employee
and employer alike to “take another look at
New Mexico.” Already a paradise for movie-
makers looking for hefty tax incentives and
striking locales, New Mexico looks primed to
enter the film location stratosphere, bringing
thousands of great new jobs with it. MMI