MovieMaker Magazine ranks Ashland No. 10 on its 2026 list — Why do moviemakers thrive here?
By Sydney Seymour, Ashland.news
Ashland was named one of the top 10 small towns in the U.S. and Canada for filmmakers for the 12th year since 2014 by MovieMaker Magazine, a widely read independent film publication. Ranked at No. 10 on the 2026 list, Ashland is recognized for its awe-inspiring trees, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and a range of local productions.
The city’s arts and theater scene, cost of living and quality of life helped Ashland stand out, said Gary Kout, the founder and president of nonprofit Film Southern Oregon (FSO). “Ashland has a little bit of everything,” he said in a phone call to Ashland.news. “It’s not a hard sell; we just have to get the word out.”
The award, shepherded by FSO, was based on factors including the frequency and quality of filmmaking, existing industry infrastructure, community support and proximity to what the magazine describes as “spectacular” cinematic locations.
Kout said this national recognition underscores Southern Oregon as a filmmaking hub. “A win for Ashland is a win for the whole region,” he continued, “Rarely does a project take place within the boundary of just one town or another.”
Ashland’s local film festival, the Ashland Independent Film Festival, draws thousands to the Rogue Valley each year, according to the Ashland Chamber of Commerce — and has appeared in its respective MovieMaker top lists nine times since 2009. MovieMaker Magazine also named Southern Oregon University (SOU) as a top 30 film school in the U.S. and Canada for two consecutive years.
The state recently approved $40 million in capital construction funds for a Creative Industries Complex on the SOU campus, as MovieMaker Magazine mentions. It will include a sound stage, digital design labs and a large screening room — all of which will be available to local filmmakers.
Megan Isser, a Los Angeles-born producer and SOU Department of Communication, Media & Cinema instructor, mentioned the abundance of creative minds in Ashland available for student and professional productions.
“Having the Shakespeare Festival gives you this pool of talent,” she said. “It’s so rare to be in a small town with such talented theater and on-camera actors, costume designers, set decorators and lighting operators.”
Cinematic locations, state benefits and community support
Film and TV activity in the local area generated upwards of $20 million in total financial impact on Ashland in 2025, according to Kout, after considering staff and operations in local film and TV-related infrastructure. The area spent at least $6 million in 2025 on film and TV production according to reported budgets and projections, Kout said.
Local filmmakers produced dozens of independent features, short films, documentaries and commercial projects in 2025, often featuring Ashland homes and even residents, according to Kout. Some earned places in notable festivals like Sundance and South by Southwest (SXSW) and represented national brands like Land Rover and John Deere.
MovieMaker Magazine highlights the film “Ernie and Emma,” the latest project from industry icon and Ashland resident Bruce Campbell, which will hold its world premiere on Valentine’s Day at the historic Holly Theatre in Medford, as earlier reported by Ashland.news. The film was shot entirely in Southern Oregon with a local cast and crew.
“As a filmmaker, the locale is amazing,” Campbell said. A local real estate drone operator helped capture the scope and beauty of the Rogue Valley for the film. “We were able to capitalize on a very underutilized part of the state,” Campbell continued in a phone call to Ashland.news. “We shot in parts that have never been shot in before.”
Campbell’s longtime creative partner and wife, Ida Gearon, noted the region’s diverse filming locations.
“Everywhere you go, you’ve got everything you could need,” she said in a phone call, mentioning Medford’s urban look, the Siskiyou Mountains and how Jacksonville can easily double as a western town. “Southern Oregon, the whole place, is the most beautiful back lot,” Gearon said.
Campbell, whose career took off with “Evil Dead” movies, said it was easy to film in the area compared to LA and Bulgaria, citing minimal permit and administrative hurdles.
“In LA, the permitting process is Byzantine,” Campbell said. “Here, we were low-key and able to operate hassle-free.”
FSO Founder Kout said state benefits for film work further drive economic impact in Southern Oregon. State tax incentives include a 25% cash rebate on goods and services and a 20% cash rebate on labor, increasing slightly for projects that shoot primarily outside of the Portland area, according to the Oregon Film office. There are no fees to film in state parks and no state sales tax.
“Ashland is supportive of filmmaking activities and welcoming when filming takes place,” Kout said. “Filmmaking often relies on the community to be accommodating, so it goes a long way when the community is behind it.”
More potential for film in Ashland
Born and raised in Ashland, Dave Isser lived in LA for 20 years working as a producer, director and editor for major television networks and streaming services. He and his wife Megan moved to Ashland in 2020 for a change of scenery and now own Bloomsbury Books.
Dave Isser said Ashland has more of a work-life balance compared to LA. “There’s an intelligence and artistic appreciation here that fosters an appetite and reverence for the arts and making art — not just making money, but celebrating creativity. It makes for an eclectic makeup of the town.”
They both said they assumed less film opportunities in Southern Oregon, but were surprised to see the collection of experienced filmmakers and creative projects.
Megan Isser, an LA-born producer and SOU Department of Communication, Media & Cinema instructor, said, “People come to Ashland for community, and the filmmaking community mirrors that in that it’s very inclusive and accessible.”
Unlike the career competition in LA, she continued, “Here, if everyone works together, we all win. You can have coffee with anybody and start helping them with their project. We are all accountable to each other because we’re going to bump into each other at the market.”
To anyone looking to access Ashland’s many film resources, Megan Isser said, “You just have to start anywhere, and you end up everywhere.”
Megan and Dave Isser tapped into the local film community through FSO Cameras and Cocktails — a monthly networking event that connects productions with local film professionals, actors, equipment and resources like Oregon Shakespeare Festival Costume Rentals.
Year after year, FSO Founder Kout sees an increase in film activity in Ashland.
“I believe more and more in the potential of what can be accomplished in Ashland regarding filmmaking,” he said. “As other places may become less desirable for filmmaking for a variety of reasons, Ashland is poised and ready to pick up where some of those other places leave off.”
Email Ashland.news reporter Sydney Seymour at [email protected].
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