MovieMaker Magazine has just published their Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, 2021.

COVID got you down? Fed up with your current town? Perhaps a move is in your future.

Here is the list:

HALL OF FAME CITIES

• New York City
• Los Angeles

BIG CITIES

• 25. St. Petersburg, Florida
• 24. Milwaukee
• 23. Seattle
• 22. San Antonio
• 21. Kansas City, Missouri
• 20. Washington D.C.
• 19. Portland
• 18. Baltimore
• 17. San Diego
• 16. Memphis
• 15. Oklahoma City
• 14. Cleveland
• 13. Cincinnati
• 12. Dallas
• 11. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 10. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• 9. Boston
• 8. Miami
• 7. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• 6. Philadelphia
• 5. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• 4. Chicago
• 3. Austin
• 2. Atlanta
• 1. Albuquerque

SMALL CITIES & TOWNS

• 10. Ashland, Oregon
• 9. Wilmington, North Carolina
• 8. Richmond, Virginia
• 7. Tulsa
• 6. Providence
• 5. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• 4. Savannah
• 3. Pittsburgh
• 2. Santa Fe
• 1. New Orleans

Of Vancouver, they say:

“Ryan Reynolds came home last year to shoot the star-studded The Adam Project, which features Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, and Zoe Saldana. But Vancouverites are more than accustomed to seeing famous faces around town at this point: generous, sustainable tax incentives, and temperate Canadian weather have lured many an A-lister up the Pacific Coast. Sandra Bullock shot an untitled Netflix film in the Chinatown district of Vancouver in 2020, and you can ponder what it might be about as you walk along nine beaches stretching out over 18 kilometers — that’s about 11 miles in American. If you’re looking to go back to school, British Columbia has seventeen educational institutions that offer digital media and motion picture production programs, including the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Capilano U, and Vancouver Film School. Tax credits in British Columbia can be tricky, but it’s worth the money you’ll spend on a good accountant to figure them out. A production can receive a 35% basic tax credit along with several additional credits for particular types of projects and locations. For example, a digitally animated production done in certain locations could receive a total credit of a jaw-dropping 69.5%.”

Of Victoria, they say:

“Vancouver thrives as a big-city alternative to Los Angeles and New York City, and Victoria thrives as a smaller alternative. It’s only about 75 miles away from Vancouver, but getting there will require a combination of driving and a ferry — which takes about four hours from downtown Vancouver — or a flight, which takes about 35 minutes. Victoria is worth the trip. The Vancouver Island Sound Film and Media Commission notes that the island, where Victoria is located, has locations that can double for everything from Central Park to English castles to the French Quarter to the Napa Valley. Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in Deadpool is really Hatley Castle, just outside Victoria, and Vancouver Island’s Highway 19 was the scene of a harrowing chase in Sonic the Hedgehog. We’d suggest referring to our entry about Vancouver for a taste of the significant tax benefits that await you in Victoria, but as we said there, you’ll probably want to enlist a tax professional. The commission will cheerfully direct you to qualified crew and production services, and your mood will be elevated by waking up each day to dreamy greenery and crashing waves.”

My take: so there! Five mentions on a list of thirty-seven places: we’re punching above our weight.