What If Albuquerque Leveraged Its Film Industry Earlier?

The Actual History

Albuquerque, New Mexico's journey to becoming a significant player in the American film industry was relatively late-blooming when compared to other regional film hubs. While New Mexico itself has a long history with filmmaking—dating back to the early 1900s when it served as a backdrop for countless Westerns—Albuquerque's emergence as a production center is primarily a 21st-century phenomenon.

The foundations for New Mexico's modern film industry were laid in 2002 when then-Governor Gary Johnson signed legislation creating the state's first significant film incentive program. This initial offering provided a modest 15% rebate on production expenditures within the state. The program was substantially expanded under Governor Bill Richardson's administration, which increased the rebate to 25% in 2006 and established the New Mexico Film Office as a division of the state's Economic Development Department.

Albuquerque's true breakthrough came with the 2008 debut of AMC's "Breaking Bad," created by Vince Gilligan. The critically acclaimed series, which ran until 2013, not only showcased Albuquerque's distinctive desert landscapes and architectural character but made the city itself an integral character in the storytelling. The show's success created what many local officials later termed the "Breaking Bad Effect," drawing attention to Albuquerque as a viable production location for major film and television projects.

Netflix made a watershed investment in 2018, purchasing Albuquerque Studios for approximately $30 million and pledging to bring $1 billion in production to the facility over the following decade. This was followed in 2020 by an expanded commitment, with Netflix announcing an additional $1 billion investment and expansion of its studio complex. NBCUniversal followed suit in 2019, converting a vacant warehouse into a production facility and committing to $500 million in production spending over ten years.

By 2023, New Mexico ranked among the top five film production states in the U.S., with Albuquerque serving as its primary production hub. The state's film and television industry generated approximately $855 million in direct spending for fiscal year 2023, supporting thousands of jobs and spawning numerous ancillary businesses. Productions filmed in Albuquerque have included major franchises such as "Better Call Saul," "Stranger Things," and numerous feature films.

This growth, however, came relatively late compared to other regional film centers like Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia, which began strategic development of their film industries in the 1980s and 1990s. Albuquerque's emergence as a production center largely missed the physical media boom of the 1980s-2000s, when film and television production expanded dramatically to meet demand for VHS, DVD, and cable television content. By the time Albuquerque established itself as a major production hub, the industry was already transitioning to streaming platforms.

The late development meant Albuquerque faced challenges in building its professional crew base, industry infrastructure, and specialized services. Local film schools and training programs at institutions like the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College expanded their offerings only after the industry had begun to take root, creating initial reliance on imported talent before a substantial local workforce could develop.

Despite these late-starter disadvantages, Albuquerque's film industry growth has been remarkable, transforming what was primarily a location shooting destination into a comprehensive production center with end-to-end capabilities for major studio projects.

The Point of Divergence

What if Albuquerque had strategically developed its film industry two decades earlier? In this alternate timeline, we explore a scenario where Albuquerque recognized and capitalized on its potential as a film production hub in the early 1980s, rather than waiting until the early 2000s to implement significant industry-building policies.

The point of divergence centers on the 1983 decision by the New Mexico state government and the city of Albuquerque to establish the Southwestern Film Development Initiative. In our actual timeline, no such comprehensive initiative existed, and New Mexico's approach to the film industry remained primarily focused on attracting location shooting rather than building permanent infrastructure or offering competitive incentives until the early 2000s.

Several plausible mechanisms could have triggered this earlier focus on film industry development:

First, the success of neighboring states might have spurred earlier action. In our timeline, states like Colorado (with productions like "The Shining") were attracting major productions in the late 1970s. A more competitive response from New Mexico officials could have emerged, particularly as they observed runaway production from California.

Second, foresighted leadership could have played a crucial role. Perhaps in this alternate timeline, a visionary state film commissioner or Albuquerque economic development director—recognizing the potential of the region's varied landscapes, lower cost of living, and 300+ days of annual sunshine—might have championed comprehensive film industry development decades earlier than occurred in our reality.

Third, the economic pressures of the early 1980s could have driven more creative approaches to economic diversification. With New Mexico suffering from the oil bust and defense industry contractions of the period, state and local officials might have more aggressively pursued emerging industries like film and television production to offset these losses.

Fourth, an earlier anchor production could have demonstrated the region's potential. Perhaps a major studio production chose to film entirely in Albuquerque rather than just using it for location shots, showcasing the city's potential as a comprehensive production center and catalyzing further development.

In this alternate timeline, these factors converged in 1983 with the establishment of the Southwestern Film Development Initiative, which combined tax incentives with infrastructure investment and workforce development programs—essentially implementing in the early 1980s many of the strategies that wouldn't emerge until the 2000s in our actual timeline.

Immediate Aftermath

Early Film Infrastructure Development (1983-1987)

The immediate impact of the 1983 Southwestern Film Development Initiative was the rapid development of physical infrastructure to support film production in Albuquerque:

First Major Studios: By 1985, the conversion of a former manufacturing facility near the Journal Center into Albuquerque's first purpose-built film studio was completed. Desert Sun Studios, as it was named, offered 35,000 square feet of sound stage space and began attracting small and medium-budget productions immediately.
Technical Infrastructure: Unlike our timeline where digital filmmaking arrived before Albuquerque had substantial film infrastructure, the city invested in film processing labs, equipment rental facilities, and post-production houses designed for the analog filmmaking era. This comprehensive approach meant productions could complete their entire workflow within the city rather than shipping footage to Los Angeles.
Initial Tax Incentives: The program's 15% tax rebate on in-state production expenditures—modest by today's standards but competitive for the 1980s—began attracting independent productions and second-unit work from major studios seeking cost efficiencies during the decade's production boom.

Educational and Workforce Development (1984-1989)

Recognizing that infrastructure alone wouldn't sustain a film industry, Albuquerque implemented parallel workforce development initiatives:

Film Program Expansion: The University of New Mexico significantly expanded its film studies program in 1984, adding technical production courses and bringing in industry professionals as adjunct faculty. Similarly, the Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (now CNM) created specialized programs for trades specific to film production.
Industry Partnerships: Major studios like Universal and Paramount established internship programs with these institutions, creating direct pipelines for local talent into the industry—something that wouldn't happen until the late 2000s in our timeline.
Regional Talent Retention: These educational initiatives stemmed the "brain drain" that historically saw creative talent leaving New Mexico for Los Angeles or New York, instead creating career pathways within the state.

Initial Production Boom (1985-1990)

The infrastructure and workforce investments quickly translated into production activity:

Television Production: In 1986, CBS launched "Southwest," a prime-time drama series set and filmed entirely in Albuquerque. While the show ran for only three seasons, it employed hundreds of local crew members and established Albuquerque as a viable television production center.
Independent Film Growth: The relatively low costs and growing local crew base made Albuquerque particularly attractive to independent filmmakers. By 1988, the city was hosting an average of 15-20 independent productions annually, compared to the 2-3 it might have seen in our timeline during this period.
Studio Interest: Major studios began considering Albuquerque for portions of their production schedules. Warner Bros. established a satellite office in 1989, primarily to coordinate location shooting but increasingly to oversee complete productions.

Regional Economic Impact (1985-1990)

The film industry's growth quickly generated measurable economic benefits:

Job Creation: By 1990, an estimated 1,200 Albuquerque residents were employed full-time in film-related positions, with another 3,000-4,000 working as extras or in part-time production roles—a workforce that wouldn't develop until the 2010s in our timeline.
Ancillary Business Development: Support businesses ranging from catering companies to specialized construction firms emerged to serve the production industry. The Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce reported approximately 75 new small businesses directly tied to film production by 1990.
Tourism Effects: Even in this pre-internet era, productions filmed in Albuquerque generated tourism interest. The Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau established a film tourism program in 1988, offering guided tours of filming locations—a concept that wouldn't emerge until after "Breaking Bad" in our timeline.

Political and Public Response (1983-1990)

The initiative's early success shaped political and public attitudes toward the film industry:

Bipartisan Support: Unlike our timeline where film incentives often became politically contentious, the program's job creation aspects generated support across the political spectrum. When Republican Garrey Carruthers succeeded Democrat Toney Anaya as governor in 1987, he expanded rather than contracted the film program.
Public Perception: Local media coverage of film production was overwhelmingly positive, emphasizing job creation and economic diversification rather than the taxpayer cost of incentives—setting a different tone for public perception than often occurred in our timeline.
Municipal Competition: Seeing Albuquerque's success, other New Mexico cities like Santa Fe and Las Cruces developed their own complementary film initiatives by 1990, creating a statewide ecosystem rather than a single-city concentration.

This early development meant that by 1990, Albuquerque had already established much of the film infrastructure and workforce that wouldn't emerge until the 2010s in our timeline, positioning the city for a very different trajectory as the entertainment industry entered the transformative 1990s.

Long-term Impact

Expansion Through the 1990s: The Cable Television Boom

As the American entertainment industry expanded dramatically in the 1990s with the proliferation of cable networks, Albuquerque was perfectly positioned to capitalize on increasing production demands:

Cable Production Center: While our timeline saw regions like Vancouver become major centers for cable television production, in this alternate timeline Albuquerque secured a significant portion of this market. By 1995, the city was hosting production for at least five cable television series annually, becoming particularly known for science fiction programming that utilized both the city's modern architecture and the surrounding desert landscapes.
Infrastructure Expansion: Desert Sun Studios expanded twice during the 1990s, and three additional major facilities opened: Sandia Studios (1992), Mesa Production Center (1995), and Albuquerque Production Campus (1997). By 1999, the city offered over 500,000 square feet of sound stage space—comparable to the capacity it wouldn't reach until the 2020s in our timeline.
Technical Innovation: The city's early investment in film infrastructure allowed for a managed transition to digital production technologies. The New Mexico Digital Arts Institute was established in 1997, providing training in emerging CGI and digital editing technologies, positioning Albuquerque ahead of competing production centers in digital transformation.

Economic Transformation and Diversification (1990-2005)

The developed film industry fundamentally altered Albuquerque's economic landscape:

Employment Growth: By 2000, the film and television industry directly employed approximately 8,500 people in the Albuquerque metro area, with another 12,000 jobs in supporting industries—creating an economic sector that rivaled traditional employers like Sandia National Laboratories.
Income Effects: The presence of union-scale film jobs significantly impacted the region's wage structure. By 2005, median household income in Albuquerque was approximately 12% higher than in our timeline, with corresponding effects on housing markets and retail development.
Real Estate and Urban Development: The film industry shaped Albuquerque's urban development patterns. The area around the Journal Center and northern I-25 corridor developed as a studio district, while historic neighborhoods like Nob Hill and Downtown experienced earlier gentrification as they became popular residential areas for film industry professionals.
Economic Resilience: When the post-9/11 recession hit in the early 2000s, Albuquerque proved more economically resilient than in our timeline, as the established film industry provided a countercyclical economic force, with production actually increasing as studios sought cost-saving locations.

Cultural Impact and Identity Shift (1990-2010)

Perhaps the most profound long-term changes occurred in Albuquerque's cultural identity and national perception:

From "Southwestern City" to "Creative Hub": By the mid-1990s, national media coverage of Albuquerque had shifted from focusing on its Southwestern characteristics to highlighting its role as an emerging creative center. This rebranding attracted a different demographic of migrants to the city than in our timeline.
Educational Institutions: The University of New Mexico's film program grew to rival those of traditional film schools, attracting students nationally. By 2005, UNM had been recognized among the top 20 film schools in the United States—a distinction it has never achieved in our timeline.
Indigenous Filmmaking Renaissance: The accessible film infrastructure led to a significant growth in Native American-created content. By the early 2000s, Albuquerque hosted the largest concentration of Indigenous filmmakers in North America, producing work that influenced global perceptions of Native American communities.
Regional Aesthetic: A distinctive "Albuquerque style" of filmmaking emerged, characterized by the incorporation of the region's unique light quality, landscape, and cultural influences—creating a recognizable aesthetic similar to what Miami developed in our timeline through shows like "Miami Vice."

Albuquerque's Position in the Streaming Era (2005-2025)

When streaming services began revolutionizing production in the mid-2000s, Albuquerque's position differed dramatically from our timeline:

Earlier Streaming Investment: Rather than Netflix making its first major studio acquisition in Albuquerque in 2018, in this timeline Amazon Studios established its first production hub outside Los Angeles in Albuquerque in 2010, recognizing the existing infrastructure and workforce.
Content Output: By 2025, Albuquerque's annual content production volume would be approximately triple what it is in our timeline, with the city consistently ranking as the third-largest production center in North America behind only Los Angeles and New York.
Industry Evolution: The city's earlier development allowed it to evolve with the industry rather than playing catch-up. When virtual production technologies emerged in the late 2010s, Albuquerque already had the technical workforce and educational infrastructure to quickly implement these advances.
Economic Scale: The film industry's direct economic impact on New Mexico would reach approximately $2.5 billion annually by 2025 in this timeline, compared to less than $1 billion in our reality.

Comparative Regional Development (1990-2025)

Albuquerque's earlier industry development altered the competitive landscape among regional production centers:

Reduced Growth in Competing Regions: The significant production volume captured by Albuquerque would likely have reduced the growth of competing hubs like Atlanta and Austin, changing the national distribution of production activity.
Southwestern Production Corridor: Rather than the Georgia-North Carolina production corridor that developed in our timeline, a Southwestern corridor connecting Albuquerque with Phoenix and El Paso would likely have emerged, creating a distinctive regional production ecosystem.
California Relationship: Albuquerque's relationship with Hollywood would be more collaborative than competitive, with many productions maintaining offices in both locations and regular transportation connections between the cities—similar to the London-Los Angeles relationship that exists in our timeline.

Global Position in 2025

By 2025 in this alternate timeline, Albuquerque would occupy a substantially different position in the global entertainment landscape:

Industry Perception: Rather than being seen as an emerging production center with significant cost advantages (its current position in our timeline), Albuquerque would be recognized as an established, mature production hub with distinctive creative characteristics.
Talent Base: The city would host a significant concentration of above-the-line talent (directors, writers, producers), rather than primarily below-the-line crew as in our timeline, with many notable filmmakers maintaining primary residences in the area.
Industry Leadership: Albuquerque would likely have produced several studio and streaming service executives, with the city's film community having direct influence on national production trends rather than primarily implementing trends established elsewhere.

This alternate Albuquerque, having benefited from four decades of strategic film industry development rather than two, would stand as a case study in how targeted economic development around creative industries can fundamentally transform a mid-sized American city's economic and cultural trajectory.

Expert Opinions

Dr. Maria Sanchez, Professor of Media Economics at the University of Southern California, offers this perspective: "In our actual timeline, Albuquerque entered the film production ecosystem during what I call the third wave of regionalization—after the development of significant production centers in Canada, then the Southeast United States. This late entry meant the city was playing catch-up during critical industry transitions. In an alternate timeline where Albuquerque developed its film infrastructure in the 1980s, the city would have participated in shaping industry practices rather than adapting to established ones. The economic multipliers would be substantially different too—early industry development creates deeper economic roots and more diverse supply chains than later development. Albuquerque would likely have a film economy at least twice the size of what it actually achieved, with significantly higher local ownership and control."

James Williams, former executive at Sony Pictures and entertainment industry consultant, provides this analysis: "Hollywood's relationship with regional production centers is fundamentally shaped by when those centers emerge relative to industry evolutionary cycles. Regions that developed during the analog filmmaking era—like Vancouver—established different relationships with the major studios than those that emerged during the digital transition. If Albuquerque had become a significant production center in the 1980s, it would have developed through the physical media distribution boom of the 1990s, the DVD golden era of the 2000s, and into the streaming revolution. This would likely have resulted in a much more diversified production ecosystem with stronger local decision-making authority. The city wouldn't just be hosting productions decided elsewhere—it would be originating and controlling significant portions of its production slate, similar to what we see in the London-Hollywood relationship today."

Lisa Begay, Director of the Indigenous Film Institute and documentary filmmaker, suggests: "The timing of a regional film industry's development significantly impacts opportunities for underrepresented communities. In our timeline, Native American filmmakers began gaining significant access to production resources only after digital technologies lowered barriers in the 2000s. An Albuquerque film industry established in the 1980s would have coincided with the Native American cultural renaissance of that period, potentially creating unprecedented opportunities for Indigenous storytelling decades earlier. The global understanding of Native American experiences would likely be more nuanced today, as Indigenous creators would have had access to distribution channels during formative periods of cable television and early internet development. The cultural impact extends far beyond economic considerations—it reshapes narrative authority and representation in profound ways."