Film Hubs- Another Look

A few years ago, I was researching what I call the different "film hubs" all around the U.S. to determine where the best place to do business and possibly the best place to move would be (if I were to move).

The Film Hubs (1-11): #1 being the best and #11 being, well... on the bottom.  Not necessarily the bottom, as in, "the worst" in the nation, but relatively speaking, the worst of the bunch.  So, this is strictly in comparison to the other film hubs being scrutinized in the post.  Also, I have added a new priority to the mix which might affect things a few percentage points up or down.  Getting a job if we move is important, so I added a "Jobs" priority.  Since, my wife works in TV editing and I am probably going to have to get some video or production-related work or possibly, I hope to be able to work in the welding field.  Regardless, this is definitely an important factor... these are not simply normal jobs you can find anywhere.  Also, I decided to add my assessment of how California would stack up with the other film hubs according to my own current priorities, so there are now, eleven contenders.

Priorities:  Jobs + Cheap + Industry + Film Community + Livable + Family = Total

1. Florida Film Hub   10 + 8 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 10 = 40

2. California Film Hub   8 + 3 + 10 + 7 + 6 + 5 = 39
3. Louisiana Film Hub   7 + 7 + 9 + 7 + 5 + 4 = 39

4. Georgia Film Hub   7 + 7 + 8 + 6 + 5 + 5 = 38

5. Portland/Seattle/Vancouver Film Hub   4 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 10 + 7 = 37

6. NYC Film Hub   9 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 7 + 2 = 37

7. New England Film Hub   6 + 5 + 6 + 8 + 6 + 5 = 36

8. Texas Film Hub   5 + 7 + 7 + 8 + 4 + 4 = 35
9. Michigan Film Hub   4 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 4 + 9 = 34
10. Chicago/Milwaukee Film Hub   6 + 3 + 7 + 6 + 4 + 5 = 31
11. Pittsburgh/Cleveland Film Hub   3 + 5 + 5 + 6 + 5 + 6 = 30

It looks like Florida wins this round!  The great thing is these are all places that are important for different reasons.  In Cali and NOLA, it is the film-related work and jobs.  In Florida, it is because a job is ensured and because our family is here... increasing the Jobs and Family rating.

There are many things to consider.  And family and livability are pretty important for us right now since we have a growing family!

So, looks like I'll be looking at staying in Florida for right now until I have some better prospects or until I have a feature film under my belt. Or maybe I'll find something that interests me elsewhere- or something that proves my high marks wrong somehow.  We will see.  =)