Press and Media

St. Petersburg Named to Moviemaker's Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2022


ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - Jan 25, 2022 - The St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Commission today announced that St. Petersburg has been named one of MovieMaker's Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2022!

MovieMaker compiles its annual list based on surveys, production spending, tax incentives, additional research, and personal visits, whenever possible. The full list of winning cities and towns is below.

"We are thrilled to make this list for the second year in a row," says Tony Armer, Film Commissioner for Pinellas County Florida's Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB) at Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. "Everyone in our area knows this is a great place to live and work. But many don't know how amazing this area is for making movies. We've worked hard over the years to build the film industry in St. Pete-Clearwater. It's exciting to see that hard work paying off with all the productions shooting here. Receiving national recognition for our efforts is the icing on the cake."

"St. Petersburg made a big comeback last year after the challenges of 2020," says MovieMaker editor-in-chief Tim Molloy. "It moved up a slot on our list because of the friendly and professional ways it has lured productions looking to make films in our new normal while enjoying safety, serenity and so, so much sunlight."

See Moviemaker's website here with announcement.

Here's the list of Best Cities to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2022.

  1. Fort Worth (joining the list for the first time)
  2. ST. PETERSBURG (up one spot from last year)
  3. Washington, D.C.
  4. San Antonio
  5. Portland
  6. Memphis
  7. Kansas City (up two slots from last year)
  8. Miami
  9. San Diego
  10. San Francisco (rejoins the list after being absent last year)
  11. Dallas
  12. Baltimore (up four spots from last year)
  13. Oklahoma City (up two spots from last year)
  14. Cleveland (up two spots from last year)
  15. Cincinnati (up two spots from last year
  16. Calgary
  17. Philadelphia
  18. Austin
  19. Chicago
  20. Vancouver
  21. Boston (up four spots from last year, joining the Top 5)
  22. Montreal (up three spots from last year, joining the Top 5)
  23. Atlanta
  24. Toronto (up 10 spots from last year, joining the Top 10 and Top 5)
  25. Albuquerque (repeating at #1 for the fourth year)

And here's a list of MovieMaker's Best Small Cities and Towns to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2022:

  1. Ashland, OR
  2. Richmond
  3. Wilminton, NC (up one spot from last year)
  4. Providence
  5. Victoria, BC
  6. Tulsa (up two spots from last year)
  7. Pittsburg
  8. Santa Fe, NM
  9. Savannah (up two spots from last year)
  10. New Orleans (repeating at #1 for the second year)

Some takeaways:

- If you're wondering "Where are Los Angeles and New York City?," they've been in our Hall of Fame since 2020, since their cinematic legacies are secure.

- The top big city (Albuquerque) and top small city (New Orleans) remained unchanged.

- No. 2 big city Toronto was the biggest mover, shooting up 10 spots since 2021.

- The other biggest movers were Baltimore, which moved up four spots to No. 14 in big cities, and Boston, which moved up four spots into the Top 5.

MovieMaker is dedicated to the art and craft of making movies. Our list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2022, appears in our new issue, with The Batman director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson on the cover.

CONTACT:

MovieMaker publisher Deirdre McCarrick: [email protected]
MovieMaker editor-in-chief Tim Molloy: [email protected]

SELECT FROM AN ARRAY OF PRESS AND MEDIA BELOW.

"After a year of silence, the film industry returns to Pinellas County" - Issuu.com

"Where Was Hallmark's South Beach Love Filmed? Who is in the Cast?" - The Cinemaholic.com

"Florida Beach Town Writes Amazon TV Series to Lure Tourists" - Associated Press (AP).com

"A Binge-Worthy Marketing Campaign? St. Pete/Clearwater Sure Hopes So" - Travel Weekly.com

"Life's Rewards' Season 1 Review: Amazon Prime Series Not-So-Subtly Promotes Florida Tourism" - Florida Travel + Life.com

"Florida's St. Pete/Clearwater Film Commission and Visit Florida Behind Amazon Prime's 'Life's Rewards'" - Location Guide.com

"Florida Tourism Produces Original Amazon Prime Series as Marketing Goes Hollywood" - Skift.com

"Pinellas Launches 1st-Of-Its-Kind Video Series to Promote Tourism" - Patch Clearwater.com

"New Scripted Series Subtly Markets Florida Vacations" - Orlando Sentinel.com

"First TV Series Filmed and Produced by a Florida Travel Destination, Premieres May 10 on Prime Video" - Forbes.com

"Florida Tourism Boards Produce Amazon Prime Series Premiering May 10" - Forbes.com

"St. Pete/Clearwater Takes Center Stage in New TV Series" - TravelPulse.com

"Restart Your Life at the Don CeSar? Hotel to Appear in Scripted Tourism Series Streaming on Prime" - WTSP 10 Tampa Bay.com

"New Streaming Series Doubles as a Tourism Video for Pinellas County" - TampaBayTimes.com

"Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, 2021" - MovieMaker.com

"St. Pete/Clearwater Named One of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker" - StPeteCatalyst.com

"Screen Talks: Production Experts Talk New Covid-19 Realities, Pushing Shoots to 2021" - Screendaily.com

"Q&A: Shooting Film and TV Projects in St Petersburg/Clearwater" - Screendaily.com

"St. Pete-Clearwater Film Commission Enjoys Record Year" - 83DegreesMedia.com

After Area Plays Host to Two Film Shoots, Officials Hope to Woo More Movies to Town" - BusinessObserventFL.com

"Hallmark Movies Might Be Helping the Economy in This Florida Region" - SounthernLiving.com

"Hallmark's New 'Garden Party' Movie Is Set in This Beloved Florida City" - SounthernLiving.com

"AFM: 'Bernie the Dolphin 2' Heads Into Production" - Variety.com

"World Premiere of a Local Teacher's Screenplay" - HernandoSun.com

"With South Bay Ties, 'Bernie the Dolphin' Hits Theaters" - DailyBreeze.com

"Filmmaking in Tampa Bay Area Ekes Out a Living" - 83DegreesMedia.com

"Film News Roundup: 'Bernie the Dolphin' Movie Backed by Ambi Group" - Variety.com

"Sunscreen Film Festival West Takes Over Hermosa" - TBRNews.com

"Filmed in Tampa Bay, Bernie the Dolphin is Family-Friendly Florida Fun" - Creative Loafing, CLTampa.com

'Marineland' is Back in Movie Business" - Jacksonville.com

How The Power-Broker Koch Brothers Are Killing The Florida Film Business" - Deadline.com

"AFM: International Reps Discuss Incentives, Filming Opportunities" - ScreenDaily.com

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