Calgary moves up to fourth on list of places to live and work as a filmmaker

The Netflix series My Life With the Walter Boys is currently in production on Season 3 being shot in and around Calgary, Alberta. Season 2 is now airing.

Calgary’s film and TV industry got a bit of love Wednesday when the city was named the fourth-best North American location to live and work as a moviemaker.

That was a bump up from 2025, when the city was named the fifth-best location.

Calgary was the second-best Canadian city named, after Toronto, which claimed the top spot of the 25 locations.

“We create this list by asking cities about factors like their industry spend, tax incentives, crews, sound stages, local film scenes, and recent productions,“ author Tim Molloy said in MovieMaker.

“We also take cost of living and general livability into account: Can we see ourselves being happy there? Buying a house? And how’s the food?”

‘Capable, experienced crews’

Calgary earned high marks for tax credits, crews, lifestyle and access to the Rockies.

“Calgary’s thriving film scene has helped drive growth up north for years, and recently enjoyed a major upswing in location-scouting requests. The city has plenty to offer: Its varied, affordable locations range from downtown cityscapes to stunning prairies, badlands and the Rockies.

“Recent productions have included Netflix’s My Life With the Walter Boys, MGM’s Billy the Kid, the long-running Canadian family drama Heartland, and the USA Network’s new national-park thriller Anna Pigeon."

Others included the feature film Die,My Love with Jennifer Lawrence and the Netflix series The Abandons.

“It’s a beautiful place, especially when you need snow, and it also makes financial sense: The Alberta Film and Television Tax Credit provides a rolling 22 per cent to 30 per cent refund for all expenses in film and television projects. The credits can also be stacked with a Canadian federal tax credit that can bring the effective refund to 35 per cent or more.

“Additionally,” it said, “Alberta also has no provincial sales tax. The city is known for capable, experienced crews, and is home to two beloved festivals, the Calgary International Film Festival and the Calgary Underground Film Festival.”

Damian Petti, the president of IATSE 212, which staffs the film crews, said the recognition was the result of a steady succession of high-profile projects that have shot in the Calgary area over the last several years.

:Calgary’s brand as a go-to production location has been on the rise since 2021,“ Petti said in an email to CTV News. ”We still have spectacular locations that the rest of the world hasn’t seen yet.

“In 2021, we became more attractive in terms of soundstage availability and incentive programs,” he added. “When we talk about places to live, Calgary is a more affordable option.

“Our training and marketing initiatives have also been very active,” he said. “Reaching #4 also reflects a number of high/profile, successful projects, of all budgets, to shoot in southern Alberta in recent years.”

Albequerque, New Mexico came second behind Toronto, while Texas had six cities (El Paso, Austin, Ft. Worth, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio) make it.

Other Canadian cities to make the list included Vancouver (#6), Quebec City (#20)and Edmonton, which came in at #22.

CTV News has reached out to IATSE 212 president Damian Petti for comment.