The Primetime Emmy® Awards are a celebration of the year’s best in television entertainment – a chance to see your favorite actors and actresses from all your favorite shows.
But the Emmys® are not just about big name stars. Many of the Emmy® Awards categories highlight the behind-the-scenes contributions of people whose names you might not recognize, but whose hard work and talents are just as critical to making great content – from costume design and hairstyling to choreography and stunt coordination.
These are mostly middle class jobs – the average person working in entertainment, including production and distribution-related jobs, makes $62,000 a year.
And many of those jobs are in places you might not expect, far from the famed studio lots in and around Hollywood. Here are the locations of just a few top, Emmy-nominated programs and the economic impact of film and television in those states:
- Breaking Bad isn’t just set in Albuquerque, New Mexico – it’s filmed there, too. In total, the motion picture and television industry is responsible for 3,268 direct jobs and $131 million in wages in New Mexico, including both production and distribution related jobs.
- Top Chef has filmed in several locations over the years. The first season was shot in San Francisco, the second in Los Angeles, the third in Miami and the fourth in Chicago, employing more than 600 people.
- Hit shows Girls and Boardwalk Empire are both shot in New York State, in New York Bay and at various locations in New York City, respectively. In total, the motion picture and television industry is responsible for 91,608 direct jobs and $8.2 billion in wages in New York, including both production and distribution related jobs.
- Parts of the CIA thriller Homeland are filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina. In total, the motion picture and television industry is responsible for 8,481 direct jobs and $206.7 million in wages in North Carolina, including both production and distribution related jobs.
- While Veep may be set at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the show is filmed in nearby Baltimore, Maryland. In total, the motion picture and television industry is responsible for 6,893 direct jobs and $592.4 million in wages in Maryland, including both production and distribution related jobs.
Creativity is a livelihood for millions of Americans in all 50 states. Check out our map to see how the entertainment industry impacts the American economy, and jobs and wages in your state.
Click here for a complete list of nominees for the 2012 Primetime Emmy® Awards.