$2.4 billion in direct spend in New Mexico over seven years. Impressive. Even this year, with the pandemic raging, the film and television industry has brought in almost $275 million. More important, it created over 1300 jobs with an average annual salary of $70,720, well above the State average. In 2019-'20 alone, just three NM television productions created 3462 jobs (cast and crew) with a New Mexico payroll of almost $15 million. The figures don't lie. The film incentives work. While production companies get a rebate for qualified spends, the money earned by the State and its citizens is significant. This financial boost is not just to industry- related folks, either, but magnifies the earnings of countless small and large companies such as hotels, restaurants, stores, and rental agencies to name a few. It is hard to find any businesses in New Mexico that do not gain from this industry. And don't overlook the massive tourism dollars from people visiting the locations of our many iconic television shows and movies. Union members in SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, and Teamsters find in New Mexico a great place to live and to work. This industry helps them afford decent, middle-class livings. [Many non-union productions also qualify for incentive rebates, so no one is left out.] And because every dollar earned gets recirculated in the State as people like myself spend our money in the State, everyone gains. Consider, also, the tax revenue our earnings generate. I and others like me pay State income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes. Every business with whom we deal, and those that provide services and goods to the film productions also pay taxes. So the State clearly gets its rebate money back many times over. Every production that comes to New Mexico raves about how wonderful the State is–the astounding landscapes, small and large communities, the casts and crews. Great! But consider what would happen if the film incentives were gutted or eliminated. We already knowfrom past experience with the Martinez administration. Production driedup; it left. Even after incentives were reinstated, production companies were leery of returning. Once the door is closed, there is an uncertainty as to whether it will shut again. If not for Breaking Bad and their rave reviews about New Mexico, we would still be reeling. The sad reality is that money drives this industry just as it doesevery other. We are in direct competition with many other markets: California, Toronto, Louisiana, and Atlanta to name a few. They, too, have significant film incentives in place, many modeled off of ours. And look specifically at California. Hollywood thought it was untouchable, the epicenter of the film and television industry. But a few years ago, they had to accept that they were victims of "runaway production," because it was too expensive to film there. Productions were leaving California to come to New Mexico and other major markets. So to recapture this work, they created their own film incentives to bring production back. This is the fickle nature of the business–of any business. Dollars drive it. We can, of course, improve the impact of the film and television industry in our State and have made inroads, as we see productions increasingly throughout New Mexico from locations as diverse as Chama to Carrizozo, Farmington to Roswell, and many more. But we need to market this industry aggressively (as the Film Office has done) to further extend the benefits to our communities and our home-grown businesses. Yes, the petroleum industry is vital to New Mexico, as are the various labs, bases, and every mom-and-pop business we have. But let's keep growing the film industry. The tax incentives work. They are a smart investment in our State, our citizens, and our future. The industry is clean, pays well, and is a great advertiser for other industries to bring their business to the Land of Enchantment.

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