Today, MovieMaker announced that Salt Lake City is one of the “Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker.” Salt Lake City makes the list for the first time joining other filmmaking hubs such as Atlanta, GA, Albuquerque, NM and Austin, TX.

“We’re happy but not surprised that so many top-tier filmmakers share our awe of the state, from Patricia Arquette to Kevin Costner to Jonathan Nolan,” said Tim Molloy, Editor-in-Chief of MovieMaker. “We’d highly recommend Salt Lake City and the surrounding area to anyone looking for steady work, constant inspiration, and a great work-life balance.”

“We are thrilled that Salt Lake City is now recognized by industry peers as one of the best places to live and work as a filmmaker. Utah’s capitol has always been a great starting place for productions to film across the state,” said Virginia Pearce, Director of Utah Film Commission. 

In the past year alone, 15 films and 5 television series — with a combined production budget of $124 million — filmed in Utah. There are a number of reasons Utah is attractive to the film industry; including a broad variety of locations, professional crew and support services, and its proximity to Los Angeles. 

“Not only does the Utah lifestyle include exceptional outdoor recreation with five national parks, a top ranked ballet company, world class theaters, and culinary and art scenes to reckon with; it’s home to thousands of professional film and television actors and crew,” said Brooke Redmon, Vice President of the Motion Picture Association of Utah. “With state of the art film studios and full-service vendors, Utah has a flourishing film industry. The Motion Picture Association of Utah feels so lucky to represent a community where we can do the work we love in the state we live.” 

Utah has the landscapes to inspire filmmakers and it is also the backdrop of the annual Sundance Film Festival that inspires global audiences and attracts approximately 100,000 attendees each January. Over the past 40 years, Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Institute have brought thousands of filmmakers and film lovers to the Wasatch mountains and helped to showcase Utah. America’s Film Set.^® to audiences around the world.

Read the Moviemaker Best Places to Live and Work as a MovieMaker, 2023 article here.

About the Utah Film Commission

A program of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, the Utah Film Commission markets the entire state as a destination for film, television, and commercial production by promoting the use of professional local crew and talent, support services, Utah locations, and the Motion Picture Incentive Program. The office also serves as a liaison to the film industry, facilitating production needs across the state.

Thousands of productions have been filmed in Utah, including Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Thelma & Louise, and 127 Hours, to name only a few. Many episodic series have also been filmed in Utah, such as Yellowstone, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and Westworld.

For more information, visit film.utah.gov.

About MovieMaker

MovieMaker is dedicated to the art and craft of making movies. The list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2023 appears in the new issue, with Creed III star and director Michael B. Jordan on the cover. 

MovieMaker compiles its annual list based on surveys, production spending, tax incentives, additional research, and personal visits, whenever possible. 

For more information, visit https://www.moviemaker.com/.