Hollywood was a Zipcode. Now, a Vibe.

Back when I graduated from film school, the path was simple: pack your stuff in your Toyota and drive to LA. That was the only play. You lived on street tacos and hope, worked as a PA or somebody’s assistant, and prayed you’d run into the right person at industry watering holes like Kate Mantilini or Dominicks.

My gig was assistant to a producer on the Fox lot. I also shot B-roll on my Bolex for music videos by grunge bands like Pearl Jam. And scribbled specs in diners with my like-minded friends. You had to physically be in Hollywood to even get a shot at a filmmaking career.

My son’s graduating from film school in 2028, and we’ve been talking about where he might go after. He doesn’t need to head home to LA. The movie biz has changed. Production has spread across the country like jam on toast. Tax incentives have turned random states into production hubs. Remote collaboration went from “impossible” to “Tuesday.”

You can build your own little filmmaking empire pretty much anywhere. Got a Netflix-approved camera, a crew of five or so folks who believe in the same crazy dream, and enough broadband to upload your flick? You’re ready to roll.

This got me asking my buddies Claude and Perplexity where small crews might actually thrive in 2025 and beyond. Not talking about eight-figure studio productions with 200-person crews and catering tents. I wanted intel for the scrappy indies, the genre nerds channeling their inner exploitation maestro. The future Roger Corman and Charlie Band, the shutterheads making their 12 features in 12 months on credit cards and conviction, like Joel Haver.

Let’s check out the states where you can actually afford rent while you’re shooting your Reservoir Dogs wannabe.

New Mexico

Growing up on Star Wars bootlegs and Ray Harryhausen fantasy films, I’ve always had a thing for desert planets and otherworldly backdrops. New Mexico delivers both, plus it’s hella indie-friendly.

Apparently, the state gives you a 25% base refundable tax credit, stackable up to 40% if you hit the right boxes – rural zones, qualified facilities, certain TV stuff. The payout cap’s ramping to $160M by fiscal year 2028. Real money for real filmmakers.

Breaking Bad turned Albuquerque into a character. You can still tour Walter White’s house (the owners must hate that). Oppenheimer shot near Los Alamos. Stranger Things filmed “California” stuff there for Season 4.

You get deserts, mountains, pueblos, small towns, all within driving distance. The film office actually wants to help, not treat you like an annoyance. It’s no wonder Netflix is building a production hub in Albuquerque.

Utah

Short drives, jaw-dropping variety, and they’ve got a program specifically for smaller productions like yours.

The Community Film Incentive Program seems to hit the sweet spot for indies – 20% cash rebate for projects between $100K and $500K. Wow! That’s perfect for Kickstarter and Patreon-funded flicks.

Butch Cassidy, 127 Hours, Westworld all shot there.

Oklahoma

Never been. Apparently, it’s stupid cheap to live, looks like everywhere and nowhere simultaneously, and they’ve got workforce programs that’ll inject fresh blood right onto your sets.

20-30% cash rebate through the Filmed in Oklahoma Act, with a low entry point that doesn’t shut out smaller productions. The state actively trains new crew via its apprentice programs.

Killers of the Flower Moon shot in Osage and Washington Counties. If it’s good enough for Scorsese...

Arizona

They got their refundable credit back online in 2023, and it’s active for 2025. You want big western vistas like The Searchers? Small-town Americana? Forests up north that nobody expects to see in the southwest? Done.

Every western you love was probably shot there. Raising Arizona (obviously). Psycho‘s Phoenix bits. The state film office keeps a running list of what’s cinematic that’ll make your location scout weep with joy.

Missouri (Kansas City’s the Spot)

KC’s become this weird little powerhouse nobody saw coming. The LLMs say Missouri gives you 20-42% transferable credits. Kansas City stacks a local rebate of up to 12% on top.

The crew base is expanding. Projects in production are stacking up. It’s got that Midwestern thing where people actually show up when they say they will.

North Carolina

Wilmington’s been building killer crews since Dawson’s Creek. You’ve got the beaches, mountains, and experienced peeps who know what they’re doing. 25% rebate through the Film and Entertainment Grant.

There’s a catch for true indies: feature films need a $1.5 million minimum spend with a $7 million cap. That’s a high bar if you’re shooting on sweat and credit cards. Might be one to circle back to when you’ve got a couple flicks under your belt and bitcoin budgets to play with.

Iron Man 3 set up shop at Screen Gems’ local studio. One Tree Hill ran for nine seasons. If you can hang with the humidity, it’s probably cool. Same with the next one —

Georgia

I love Savannah, home of SCAD. And Atlanta was a great show. Everybody who’s anybody knows about Georgia. Deep bench, stages for days, Atlanta doubles for everywhere. 20% base transferable credit with potential 10% uplift.

Black Panther, Walking Dead, Stranger Things, Peacemaker, Tyler Perry – the hits keep coming. The crews are some of the best in the biz. Just watch the legislative updates; sometimes money and politics shift.

Texas

The Lone Star state just pumped $300M per biennium into its fund through 2035. So, that’s $150M annually. Houston’s adding a 10% local rebate on top of that.

Austin’s indie DNA runs deep. Robert Rodriguez has his own studio. That guy is an inspiration to anyone with discipline and a dream. It’s also Linklater country. Boyhood. Slacker. That Joe Rogan guy lives there, too.

Florida

Florida’s weird for many reasons. No statewide incentive at all. Miami-Dade’s High Impact Film Fund offers a 20% cash rebate, but here’s the catch: they require a $5 million minimum spend. That’s not scrappy indie money, that’s “we already got distribution” or Saudi money.

Don’t write it off completely. Miami Beach has a tiny $10K grant for $25K local spend. Pinellas County (St. Pete/Clearwater) has local grants. You’ve just gotta dig around at the municipal level, piece together what you can. If you need that neon-soaked Miami look or those perfect beaches, you’ll find a way to work the system.

Moonlight shot across Miami. Magic Mike ran through Tampa. Burn Notice made Miami home for seven seasons. I love me some Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

The Money Talk Nobody Wants to Have

Transferable credits versus cash rebates – you’ve gotta know the difference. Credits take time to monetize and might need brokers. Cash rebates pay later, but they’re straightforward.

Watch those minimum spends. Georgia wants $500K across a tax year. North Carolina needs $1.5 million for features. Miami-Dade wants five mil. While Oklahoma and Utah keep it real for the actual indie creators.

Local add-ons stack. KC’s extra rebate on Missouri’s credits. Houston’s kicker on Texas funds. Florida’s tiny municipal grants. That’s the difference between making your movie and making your movie next year.

Your Starter Playbook

Got a $500K desert neo-noir? Base in Albuquerque, split between city and rural uplift zones, grab stage days at a qualified facility for interiors. Push for that 25% base plus bumps.

Making a $350K creature feature? Utah’s Community Film Program is your backbone. Three contained locations within two hours of Salt Lake. Stay in that $100K-$500K lane for the win.

Need an $800K character piece with water? Skip Miami-Dade’s big-money program. Look at those smaller Florida beach towns with municipal grants, or pivot to North Carolina’s coast if you can stretch to their minimum.

Go Where You Can Do It

When I was trying to break in, being in Los Angeles meant everything. You needed those chance encounters, those “come to the office tomorrow” moments. Post-COVID, nobody’s going out for drinks, and 99% of meetings are on Zoom. Or Microsoft Teams if you’re dealing with Sony.

My son and his generational cohort can career-build from anywhere. So, pick the state that gives you maximum runway, not the sexiest skyline. You can fly in LA talent for a week. You can post remotely. You can premiere at festivals without living in Burbank or NYC. Or just sell your flick straight to TUBI and Shudder like a mogul. Or how about trying a vertical Micro D?

Find your home base. Somewhere to shoot, cut, and ship flick after flick. Build relationships with local crews who’ll grow with you. Create your own little ecosystem.

We live in a time of filmmaking opportunity that rivals the era of the French New Wave and USC outlaws. Making movies is no longer gated by legacy lots in a couple of zip codes. It’s anywhere a few obsessed, disciplined weirdos set up their Sony FX3s and, like Shia LaBeouf memes, “Just do it!”