The New Mexico Film Office looking for another hit like ‘Breaking Bad’ because TV shows spend much more on a season than a movie spends, it said.
“Series stay on the ground a lot longer than a feature film," New Mexico Film Office Director Amber Dodson told KRQE. "And what does that mean? It means longer jobs for our resident crew. That means more spend with our local businesses around the state."
In 2019, New Mexico had a record of $525 million from 92 film projects which were shot in the state, according to the station.
It’s estimated that the production of Breaking Bad in New Mexico spent around $187-$250 million. “There’s thousands of jobs within an ecosystem like that. Many of them are long term, most of them are very high-paying, and New Mexico has the assets to be that ecosystem,” Dodson said.
The ‘Breaking Bad Bill’ gives a 35% rebate to companies that shoot their TV shows in New Mexico, provided they shoot at least six episodes within the state. This incentive is one of the most competitive in the United States. Dodson said that TV shows that take advantage of this rebate have the ability to provide better opportunities compared to those projects that are meant for the big screen.