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Santa Fe film commissioner outlines incentives, permitting and regional model for Taos
Summary
Jennifer Labartafia, Santa Fe film commissioner, told Taos County commissioners how state incentives, joint city–county MOAs, and permitting work and recommended options for Taos to join a regional office or contract a local liaison to support film production.
Jen Labartafia, who identified herself as the Santa Fe film commissioner and executive director of the Santa Fe Film Office, delivered a 15‑minute overview of how New Mexico's film incentives and regional film-office model work and how Taos might participate.
Labartafia explained the state incentive structure: "Basically how it works is any qualified expense... you get 25% back from the state of New Mexico," and she described additional uplifts—5% for qualified production facilities and a rural uplift (about 10%) that can bring total incentives up to roughly 40% for qualifying projects. She outlined Santa Fe's joint city–county MOA and said joint funding covers operations, staff and shared costs.
On permitting and safety, Labartafia described the office's role in permitting, insurance, traffic plans and coordinating reviews by city/county fire and police. She cited set-safety incidents to emphasize strong permit and safety practices and said permitting should explicitly prohibit live ammunition: "Live ammunition is to never be on set." She recommended Taos consider either joining a northern regional office or contracting a local point person who would report to a regional liaison.
Commissioners asked about workforce development, housing for crews, budgeting and alignment with local culture projects; Labartafia suggested training partnerships (UNM programs), vendor education, and a local contract liaison reporting to the regional office.
Ending: The presenter offered to provide follow-up data (production counts, budgets) and recommended discussion among commissioners about MOA and funding options before making a commitment.
