Story and photos by :
James Blackburn, NM Film
Camera, Editor
Walking into the Albuquerque Rail Yards for the 2026 On Set in New Mexico: Film & MediavConference, I expected two days of panels, industry updates, and networking. What I found was something bigger: a film community taking stock of where it has been, where it stands now, and what it will take to move forward.
Across two days of conversations, several themes kept returning. The industry is changing, competition is global, production has slowed, workforce development matters, relationship matter, and success increasingly means creating opportunities instead of waiting for them. There was optimism, concern, and uncertainty throughout the conference, but above all there was a strong sense that New Mexico’s film community is still very much here.
Setting the Stage
The conference opened with remarks from Cabinet Secretary Rob Black, followed by New Mexico Film Office Director Steve Graham and a Netflix representative. The conversation focused on the evolving entertainment landscape, emerging opportunities and New Mexico’s continued position as a major film and media production center.
Large-scale investment can mean more than individual productions coming to town. It can support infrastructure, workforce development, training and a more sustainable long-term industry.
That idea of sustainability became one of the conference’s strongest themes. New Mexico has become one of the country’s most recognizable production hubs, but studios and producers are operating in an increasingly competitive global environment. The question is no longer simply whether New Mexico can attract productions, but how it can remain competitive while continuing to support the people who live and work here.
State of the Industry
One of the most important Day One sessions was State of the Industry, which examined the current production landscape, challenges facing film workers and companies, and efforts to recruit productions and position New Mexico for long-term growth.
The conversation was encouraging but honest. Many experienced professionals have seen fewer calls, fewer productions, and longer stretches between jobs than they experienced during stronger production years.
For those of us who make our living in film and television, that reality is personal. It mean weeks when the phone does not ring, projects that disappear or move elsewhere, and experienced professionals asking whether they can continue making a living doing work they have spent decades learning to do. That uncertainty was present throughout the conference, but so was the determination to address it.
Competing on a Global Stage
The session Competing on a Global Stage made the larger challenge even clearer. Film and television production is no longer simply a competition between New Mexico, California, Georgia and other American production centers. It is international.
Countries and jurisdictions around the world are investing in incentives, infrastructure and workforce development to attract productions and jobs. The discussion examined strategies for strengthening American filmmaking, including the possible role of a national incentive.
The takeaway was clear: New Mexico cannot stand still. The state’s success has come from combining locations, crews, incentives, facilities and relationships, and maintaining that position will require continued investment.
Building the Workforce
Day Two shifted much of the focus toward the future. Behind the Scene: Workforce Next Gen explored education, workforce development and industry partnerships, including programs connected to the CNM Film & Media Arts Collective.
A successful film industry is not built only from stages, tax incentives or visiting productions. It is built from people: camera crews, editors, grips, electricians, actors, production assistants, writers, drivers, costume departments, makeup artists, post-production professionals and many others.
The strength of any production hub depends on whether those people are trained, available and able to build sustainable careers.
Made in New Mexico
Another Day Two session, Made in New Mexico, focused on what it takes to bring projects to life here. Filmmakers, producers, crew members and creative leaders discussed lessons learned and how local talent, locations, partnerships and resources contribute to successful productions.
That conversation highlighted something important. New Mexico should not be viewed only as a place where outside companies come to make movies. It is also a place where New Mexicans make movies.
Independent films, documentaries, shorts, television projects and digital content are being developed by people who live here. The stronger that local creative ecosystem becomes, the less dependent the state is on waiting for someone from somewhere else to bring the next opportunity.
Unions and Opportunity
The State of the Unions session continued the workforce conversation with updates on training, advocacy, workforce development and opportunities for current and future members.
Those organizations play an important role in an industry where employment is often project-based. Training, safety, fair working conditions and professional development all contribute to whether workers can build lasting careers.
The Business of You
One of the conference’s final sessions may also have contained one of its most important messages. The Business of You focused on the idea that success increasingly means creating opportunities instead of simply waiting for them.
Industry professionals were encouraged to develop original content, strengthen personal brands, build meaningful relationships and take an active role in shaping their own careers.
That message applies far beyond acting. Many film professionals work across several disciplines.
Someone may edit one project, operate a camera on another, perform on another and develop their own work in-between jobs.
In a freelance business, one of the most valuable things you carry from job to job is your reputation: your professionalism, your relationships, whether people trust you and whether they want to work with you again.
The Conference Between the Panels
Some of the conference’s most important moments never happened on a stage. They happened during breaks, over lunch, around vendor booths and at the receptions.
For me, those moments were every bit as valuable as the panels. After more than twenty years working in New Mexico film and television, I saw old friends and colleagues from many different parts of my career. There were hugs, handshakes, business cards, and conversations that began with some version of, “I know I recognize you. Where did we work together?”
When you have worked on hundreds of productions, it becomes nearly impossible to remember every person from every set, but events like this bring those connections back to life.
I reconnected with people I had worked with before and met people I had never spoken with until these two days. Some later visited my YouTube channel and subscribed. Others sent messages and asked to meet during the second day.
One vendor displayed a Help Wanted sign seeking editors, camera professionals, and other positions. Another conversation led to someone offering help with an independent project currently in development, and an editing project had already landed in my hands before the conference was over.
Not every conversation will turn into work, but connections matter.
Planting Seeds
That may be the best way to describe what a conference like this accomplishes. You are not planting finished plants. You are planting seeds.
A conversation, business card, introduction, or reunion with somebody you worked with years ago may become important later when a project suddenly needs an editor, camera operator, actor or crew member.
Some seeds will never grow. Others may become the next job, collaboration, friendship, or
creative partnership. The mistake would be expecting instant results, because the real value is often in what happens later.
More Than a Business
For me, the most meaningful part of the conference was realizing again that film in New Mexico is more than an industry. It is a community.
Before moving to New Mexico, I did not always feel that same sense of connection in my life.
Over the years, film and television gave me more than work. It gave me friendships, people I could learn from, people I could create with, and a place where, even during uncertain times, I did not feel entirely alone.
At one point during the second day, I sat listening to a panel and found myself simply appreciating that I was there. The room was full of professionals discussing an industry I had dreamed about being part of long before I ever moved to New Mexico. For a moment, it almost felt unreal.
But it was real. The conversations were real, the friendships were real, the opportunities were real, and so were the challenges.
That may be the most accurate picture of New Mexico film right now. There is reason for concern and reason for optimism, and there is work to do. But after two days at the Rail Yards, one thing felt clear: New Mexico’s film and media community is still here, still adapting, still
creating and still looking toward whatever comes next.
And in an industry built on storytelling, that may be the most important story of all.
