July 2023 Newsletter
Center for Community Innovation's Free Resume and Skill Building Workshops starts Wednesday
Be sure not to miss the Free Resume and Skill Building Workshop starting next week at the Center for Community Innovation. Attendees will learn resume writing tips, career planning skills, and much more to help propel careers to the next level. This is a great opportunity and it's totally free!
Sign up by contacting Bianca Patterson at (575) 791-5156 or email bianca@centerci.org.
Big News for Film Uplift Incentives in New Mexico
Film Incentives Map
New Mexico Film Office announced some exciting revamp to the New Mexico Film Incentive program, especially in rural areas like ours. House Bill 547 increases the rural uplift incentive from 5% to 10% and redefines the zoning to at least 60 miles from the city hall of each county. Raton and Colfax County will greatly benefit from the new legislation in it's ability to attract filmmakers to the region over the urban centers of the state.
Additionally, for films starting principal photography beginning or after July 1, 2023, and meet the requirements of the Film Production Tax Credit Act may apply for, and the taxation and revenue department may allow, a tax credit for qualified spends made in New Mexico up to 40%.
Base Credit Amount: 25%
Rural Uplift (add on): 10%
TV Series (add on): 5%
Qualified Facilities Use (add on): 5%
Maximum credit amount: 40%
Moreover, House Bill 547 introduces:
adjustments that exempt resident principal performers from a $5 million credit cap per production (to incentivize the casting of local talent for leading roles), and
progressively increasing the annual cap on industry tax credits from $110 million to $160 million over the next five fiscal years.
Last fiscal year, New Mexico set a new record in production spend for the second consecutive year, hitting $855.4 million, a 36% increase over the previous fiscal year. The state was also named one of the "Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker" by MovieMaker Magazine in 2023. The film industry currently provides approximately 8,000 jobs throughout the state, with the median wage of a film worker being roughly $32 per hour. This is significantly higher than the average wage for other industries in New Mexico, which stands at $18 per hour.
Film Prize Jr. New Mexico Showcase @ the 2023 Spaghetti & Western Film Festival
We are teaming up with Film Prize Jr. New Mexico and the Colexico Experience with a Youth Film Showcase block during the 3rd Annual Spaghetti & Westerns Film Festival.
Join us Saturday, October 14th 2023 for an exciting block of New Mexico-made short films! Find out more about the 2-day festival at www.colexicoexperience.com.
Plus, submit your nominee for best Crew/Business/Location/Resource on our website for a chance to win free tickets to the event in October!
Students wishing to create their own short films and participate in the 2024 Film Prize Jr. New Mexico Film Festival are encouraged to sign up for our mentorships which are beginning in August. Learn more at www.elratonmediaworks.org/film-prize-jr-new-mexico-mentorship-program
Event Recaps for July
On July 1st, El Raton Media Works presented at the Dynamic Investor's event organized by Denver City Council Member, Debbie Ortega (formerly of Raton) at the Shuler Theater for the 2023 Class Reunion. It was a great event focused on the promising future of economic development in Raton and included not only our XR Film Training Center and Studio project but also Moss Adventures, Ramel Family Farms, El Raton Theatre, and GrowRaton.
On July 4th, we offered free headshots at the Raton 4th of July celebration parade and had the opportunity to connect with tons of wonderful individuals interested in bringing multimedia to the region. If you did not get your photos yet, please email us at info@elratonmediaworks.org - we did our best to read everyone's writing! Thank you to all the event organizers, volunteers, and participants for making 2023's 4th of July a spectacular one!
Local Highlights of the Month - July 2023
Cimarron, New Mexico is a great film location just South of Raton. From an old Mercantile building, St James Hotel, Old House in Chase Ranch Museum Cimarron, and Aztec Mill there's no shortage of one-of-a-kind architecture in Cimarron built with uniquely New Mexican charm.
Watch a highlight video here.
Raton Motor Pass Inn has 15 individually themed rooms and a fun retro vibe. All rooms are ground level, and you park right in front of your door making it the perfect temporary home for visiting crews. Visit their website to check out this unique Raton gem.
Stagecoach Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to creating career pathways for New Mexicans in the film and television industry. They often host free skill building workshops and events so be sure to stop by their website and get signed up for their newsletter to stay on top of their latest updates
NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO THE SPAGHETTI & WESTERNS FILM FESTIVAL IN OCTOBER
Have a favorite Filmmaker, Business, Location, or Resource in Raton and the surrounding area? Click here to nominate them for our next Highlight of Month and get a chance to win tickets to the 3rd Annual Spaghetti & Westerns Film Festival in Raton and Trinidad in October!
GET INVOLVED
Interested in getting involved as we develop? Sign up on our crew and businesses lists or reach out to us directly at team@elratonmediaworks.org with your ideas.
We are all currently volunteers but as we expand there will be various paid opportunities that come up in addition to volunteer work. Our goals are large and require people with all sorts of various different talents and backgrounds to make possible. We'd love to hear from you!
