Gallup film expo connects young creators with New Mexico industry

At the Red Rock Park Convention Center in Church Rock, the Gallup Film & Media Expo turned a free community event into a direct look at film work that can pay off in New Mexico. The two-day expo, hosted by the Native Professional Advancement Center and the City of Gallup, was built around a simple idea: show Native youth and local families how a classroom interest in media can become a job, a network and a career path.

The expo served as the main event of Gallup’s Economic Development Week and brought that message into a place McKinley County residents know well, the convention center at 5757 Red Rock Park Dr. The schedule included screenings, panel discussions, exhibition booths, food trucks and live entertainment, but the clearest draw was a demonstration film set designed to look like a Route 66 diner. Co-sponsored by Central New Mexico College and CNM Props, the set gave attendees a behind-the-scenes view of how a production is built and why technical skills matter.

That practical focus matters in a county where young people often leave to find work elsewhere. NPAC said the expo was created to connect Native youth and local communities to real-world career pathways in film and media, while also supporting local businesses, artists and workforce opportunities. Gallup-McKinley County Schools and the Gallup Film Committee helped build that vision in earlier years, promoting a third annual expo in 2025 and showing the event had already become part of the local calendar before this year’s fourth edition.

The expo also fit into a larger state industry that has grown quickly enough to change the conversation in places like Gallup. The New Mexico Film Office says the state’s film and television sector supports thousands of jobs and pays an average annual wage of almost $60,000. The office also says New Mexico’s film tax credit starts at 25% and can rise to 40% under current rules, a set of incentives that helps explain why local leaders now talk about film as an economic development tool, not just an arts program.

The list of participants underscored that shift. NPAC, Central New Mexico College, ATSIE 480, Film New Mexico, the New Mexico Media Arts Collective, Doghouse Media, Gallup-McKinley County Schools and other regional partners all had a role in the expo’s mix of education, workforce development and industry access. Visit Gallup describes Red Rock Park Convention Center as one of the best event venues in the region, and the New Mexico Tourism Department calls Red Rock Park the crown jewel of Gallup’s parks and recreation system. For McKinley County, the bigger story was not just what was on screen, but what young creators could now see for themselves: a route into an industry that is hiring, paying and building in New Mexico.