5/21/19 Todd Christensen named New Mexico Film Officehead - Albuquerque Business First

Todd Christensen named New Mexico Film Office head

There's a new director on the set of the New Mexico Film Office.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has appointed Todd Christensen the next director of the New Mexico Film Office, according to an announcement.

Christensen previously served as locations manager for the Film Office and succeeds Rochelle Bussey, who served as interim director. Bussey will remain with the Film Office as a senior operations manager, said Bruce Krasnow, spokesman for the New Mexico Economic Development Department. Nick Maniatis served as director under former Gov. Susana Martinez. Christensen began serving Monday and his salary will be $100,000 annually, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

“I’ve been in the field on movies for 23 years doing this job,” Christensen said, in a statement. “I’ve worked with over 50 producers, I have friends in all of the studios. I’m going to contact all of those people to tell them to come to New Mexico to make their next movie or TV series here."

A native of Yankton, South Dakota, Christensen has scouted and managed locations for all the major motion picture studios and completed 10 movies in New Mexico, according to a provided bio. He started his career in Los Angeles, working on projects including “Syriana," “Moneyball," “The Hunger Games” and “There Will Be Blood." He moved to Santa Fe in 2006.

"Todd has been on the ground in the United States and New Mexico working with producers for more than two decades,” said state Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes, in a statement. “He can carry our message: New Mexico is serious about building the industry, we want production companies to not only come and film in the state, but to stay here permanently and provide year-round employment.”

Lujan Grisham signed a bill in March that paid off a backlog of state film tax credits and raised the $50 million annual cap on film tax rebates to $110 million.