Richmond, VA – The Virginia Film Office today announced that Richmond has been named one of MovieMaker magazine’s Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2020, ranking fifth out of ten smaller city and town finalists. MovieMaker determined the winners using surveys, editorial research on tax incentives and recent productions, and personal visits to most of the locations on the list. The full list of winning cities and towns is below.
“Richmond offers the perfect palette to filmmakers. Pristinely preserved history, a variety of landscapes, a thriving downtown, and 3,000 acres of state-owned scenic backlot are all within an easy drive,” said Virginia Film Office Director Andy Edmunds. “Add to that award-winning restaurants, dozens of breweries, a world-class arts scene and a warm, welcoming community – visiting filmmakers tend to look for ways to stick around after wrap. We are excited by the momentum this lucrative industry has gained in Virginia and the tremendous opportunities it continues to provide our workers and businesses.”
“We’re thrilled about the new and returning cities and towns on our list of creatively thriving places for moviemakers to do great work. This year, we decided to move Los Angeles and New York City to the Hall of Fame of Best Places to Live and Work as a MovieMaker, which opened up the list to richly deserving new communities that are creating their own great film legacies,” said MovieMaker editor-in-chief Tim Molloy.
Virginia has experienced a record year for film, television and new media production, hosting high-profile projects including the next installment in AMC’s popular Walking Dead universe titled World Beyond, SHOWTIME® and Blumhouse Television’s limited series The Good Lord Bird, and CBS Studios’ Swagger, which will debut on Apple’s new streaming service. This year’s Academy Award-nominated biopic Harriet filmed in Virginia in 2018, and Wonder Woman: 1984, set to debut this summer, called Virginia home for several weeks of filming.
For the complete 2020 list of Best Places to Live and Work as a MovieMaker, visit MovieMaker.com.
MovieMaker is dedicated to the art and craft of making movies. The 2020 list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker appears in the Winter 2020 issue, available on newsstands in February.
The Virginia Film Office is part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the state agency charged with marketing the state of Virginia. Tourism is an instant revenue generator in Virginia. In 2018, visitors spent $26 billion, supporting 235,000 jobs and contributing $1.8 billion in state and local taxes.
Additional Information and Contact:
For information about Virginia’s film production industry, please visit the Virginia Film Office website at www.filmvirginia.org
For information about Virginia tourism, please visit www.virginia.org