San Diego, CA–The City of San Diego has once again landed in the spotlight in Hollywood after being named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 25 Best Places to Live and Work for 2022.
MovieMaker Magazine determined San Diego to be No. 17 on the list based on surveys, research on financial incentives, and recent productions. In addition, the magazine staff made personal visits to most of the cities and towns on the list while factoring in health and safety considerations related to how they addressed the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like many other cities across the nation, San Diego paused production at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The film office worked diligently with state, county, and local film industry groups to implement guidelines that allowed reopening in a safe manner for crews and communities alike, in compliance with county and state public health orders.
“San Diego continues to be recognized as a creative hub for the film industry,” said Brandy Shimabukuro, Filming Program Manager for the City of San Diego’s Special Events & Filming Department. “Our convenient, binational location offers diverse film backdrops year-round, along with film-friendly communities and talented crews and support services. Combined with San Diego’s unparalleled weather conditions, the region provides an appealing environment to cultivate film as a craft and an industry.”
Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic, San Diego was able to successfully attract projects to the area including Netflix’s feature “Purple Hearts” starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galizine, Amazon Prime’s original scripted series, “The Terminal List,” several reality TV shows, and national advertising campaigns for Apple, Lowe’s, NFL, Traeger, Facebook and more.
“If you want a film career close to L.A., with less stress and more natural beauty, you can’t do much better than San Diego,” says MovieMaker editor-in-chief Tim Molloy. “You can go to industry meetings in Hollywood when you’re up for an easy Amtrak ride or slow crawl up I-5, and in return you get to enjoy an amazing work-life balance. There’s plenty of work in San Diego, and you can enjoy California’s 25% tax credit, as well as waived film permit processing and location fees.”
The San Diego Film Office offers a comprehensive suite of services including a filming production guide, location gallery, and interactive map. California’s film industry represents more than 890,000 film and entertainment employees.