New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson spoke on a variety of issues during a town-hall meeting in Tucumcari on Monday, according to a report in the Clovis News-Journal.
Richardson mentioned this during discussions about Mesalands Community College programs:
Richardson suggested Barry add another curriculum to the college — film. Richardson has been actively courting the film industry, and he said 14 films are currently being shot in New Mexico.
The problem is the state only has four film crews, so jobs from 10 film crews go to people staying on a temporary basis instead of New Mexico residents. With more students graduating from film programs at in-state colleges, that money stays in New Mexico.
Richardson felt Tucumcari could definitely come into play on films, since it has the advantage of Route 66.
“Some very famous movies were filmed here,” Richardson said, “and I’d like to see that happen again.”
With "Cars" coming online in a few months and the inevitable rise in interest about Route 66, Richardson's observation seems sound.