# Portland, Denver, or Seattle? Thinking of moving out of NYC



## controlremoto (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi,
I'm considering moving out of NYC to be closer good mountains. Snowboarding and Mtn Biking have gotten the better of me and I'm constantly daydreaming of being somewhere close to great mountains. The East coast is just not cutting it and I'm not getting any younger. 

Long story short I've progressed a lot here in NYC and I've gotten to the point where I feel like I could make a decent living here. But I also feel like I've developed enough to survive or even be a bigger player somewhere smaller...potentially. So my question is Does Portland and Denver (or anywhere else that is close to great ski/mtn bike terrain) have a "decent" production industry? 

Obviously nothing will compare to NYC DC LA CHICAGO etc but non of those areas are close to good mountains. 

Am I doomed to continue only 2 weeks a year out west or is this dream possible?

I should mention that I work mostly a mix of corporate theater/industrials, live music and social events. 

Any advice is appreciated.


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## cmckeeman (Jan 10, 2013)

Come to denver, we have a good mix of theater, concert and corporate events. the best way to describe denver is a small town soul in a big city setting. as for the mountains we have world class powder (assuming we get any snow) and in the summer more biking, climbing, hiking, camping than you can shake a stick at. also you will have to break into this city, you probably won't be able to hop off the bus and into a theater, but we have good options for union and non union work.

Any other questions?


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## josh88 (Jan 10, 2013)

*Portland or Denver? thinking of moving out of NYC*

Plus last time I checked boulder had a good arts scene. And granted, it was two years ago, I was in the silverthorne area (also a bit removed from Denver) but I was finding lots of openings in the area. It was enough then to almost convince me to stay, partially for the same reasons.


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## Van (Jan 10, 2013)

Stay Out of Portland! Go Away ! We Don't Need You! 

Great town, GREAT recreational access, I mean Denver is nice, COLD, and DRY, but in Portland you are an hour from the beach and an hour from the mountain and within 6 hours there are Whole other countries! < I'm refering to California> 
Very Active Local. Three world-class scenic Studios - Acme, Stu-Con, Reed, as well as three of four world class Tradeshow contractors/builders. and addition we have Grimm, Portlandia, and if all goes well at least two other TV shows. We also get 2 - 3 movies shooting in state each year plaus TONS of Industrials. Did I mention Laika? plus two Fantastic Regional theatres and over 200 small producing bodies ?


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## Footer (Jan 10, 2013)

....Granted, I'm writing this after spending the last two days at Gore and today at Whiteface so I might be biased... but... 

Why leave? Yes, the snow is different... but it is still snow. Your not going to get knee deep powder every day around here. However, you will get great mountain biking and decent skiing. If you do it right, you can get down right fantastic skiing. Granted, I'm not a fan at all of whiteface due to the ice, but the rest of the east is not like that. If you have not gotten up to Jay, Killington, Gore, Mad River Glenn, Mount Snow, or any of the other Green or Adirondack mountains your really missing out. 

Now, if you want to stay in the area, keep your contacts alive, and still live closer to the mountains there is plenty of work up here. Adirondack Scenic Studios is at the base of the Adirondacks in Argyle. Creative Stage Lighting is literaly 2 minutes away from the parking lot of Gore. Lake Placid just opened up a new convention center which is bringing in a lot of work. Atomic Pro Audio is in Rutland and they have a pretty deep freelance list. There is even more stuff up in Burlington. 

So, there is ways to work in this industry and do what you want to do in the east. The Adirondacks and the Greens are different then the west... both have some benefits over the others. Many people prefer to hike and bike out here over out west, but that is mostly coming from people that live out here so they might be a bit bias.... 

If you are just hitting the Catskills, get out and see the rest of the east. If you have hit it all and still want out, then get out of here and leave the work for the rest of us. My buddy who works in Denver is getting a decent amount of work but he is also a scraper who will pick up any bit of work he can get.


...and Mrs. Footer today...


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## zmb (Jan 10, 2013)

Not that I speak about the local theatrical industry, but have you considered Seattle as well? One hour to hiking and climbing, add another half hour for a ski/snowboard area and more hiking. Outside of the mountains and closer to Seattle, temps rarely above 80 during the summer and not staying below 30 during winter days. We've also got the REI Flagship store plus a bunch of small and local outdoor-oriented stores.

On Portland, the main interstate through the city is needs another lane and is way too curvy for an interstate. They do have neat bridges though.


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## Van (Jan 10, 2013)

zmb said:


> .....On Portland, the main interstate through the city is needs another lane and is way too curvy for an interstate. They do have neat bridges though.



As opposed to Seattle where they've been trying to straighten out the main interstate that runs through the middle of downtown for the last twenty years, to the effect that it really is only one lane. They do have a nice sales tax though.....


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## josh88 (Jan 10, 2013)

*Portland or Denver? thinking of moving out of NYC*


Footer said:


> ...and Mrs. Footer today...



It looks like you were the only people there!


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## Footer (Jan 10, 2013)

josh88 said:


> It looks like you were the only people there!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



That is at the summit... which is about 12' wide... and she is on the edge of Skyward which is freakishly steep and at 4600'. Granted, there were a decent number of people there, we were able to ski trail to lift most of the day. The only real issue was in the morning they had a massive power issue so they only had the gondola running on a genny for the first 2 hours of the day... but, it was only 10 bucks for the day (I Ski NY had a promotion that you could get a 10 dollar ticket anywhere in NYS today).


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## ruinexplorer (Jan 10, 2013)

Although the shows are different, you might want to consider Vegas as well. Funny thing is that people don't consider the expanses around the valley when they think about this town. There is skiing (I can't say world class...) just outside of town. Just a short drive into Utah or California will get you even better skiing. Hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, etc. are also nearby.


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## gafftaper (Jan 11, 2013)

Here in Seattle not only do we have a great theater scene but we have three ski areas less than two hours drive away (Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass) at three hours you add Mt. Baker (with some world record snow falls)and the two Vancouver B.C. ski areas. Finally it's about 3 1/2-4 hours to some of the greatest snow on Earth at Whistler/Blackcomb.


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## josh88 (Jan 11, 2013)

As much as I like the areas in the Rockies and around Denver, Crystal truly is some great skiing too or boarding in the case of the OP)


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## SteveB (Jan 11, 2013)

There's going to be a greater selection of ski areas nearer to Denver then Portland. But there will still be a greater variety of mt. biking in the winter in and around the Portland area then would be typical of Colorado in the winter. If Colorado is having a great winter the trails are snowed in, so not much mt. biking. On the flip side, if the ski area's in Oregon are having a great winter, that means it's raining at lower elevations, and that means mud on the mt. bike trails. 

But Portland has that slight advantage. Seattle is similar to Portland and has a greater selection of theatrical choices for work. And of course you won't be able to afford either if you can't support yourself with steady work, so that really comes first.

Kyles suggestion of the southern Adirondaks makes sense if there's steady work and other then Christie and Adirondak Scenic, there's not a whole lot else. The area is not exactly a hotbed of theater companies, even in Lake Placid. I interviewed for the TD position at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts about 30+ years ago but found the pay to be too meager to support myself, so turned it down. I was going to need a day job at Eastern Mt. Sports to be able to afford to live in Lake Placid (or close by), which is an expensive area to live in, and by working all the time, I wasn't going skiing or hiking. And you cannot count on great skiing in the Dak's or southern Vermont and global warming may well be making the situation worse. So long term ? - iffy.

If it was me, I'd had to Portland or Seattle. If snowboarding were not as important and I wanted to do more cycling and mt. biking, I'd choose Albuquerque.


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## controlremoto (Jan 16, 2013)

Thanks so much for all the responses. I can say for sure that I'm definitely more excited about moving but just as confused lol! Seattle is definitely an option. Perhaps I should include that in the title. I especially like the idea of being close to whistler! Btw I had the best powder weekend at stowe shortly before posting this. Probably the best I've ever had on the east. We spent both days entirely in the glades. But this only fuels my desire to move and moving to vermont is not enough to give up nyc for. 

I've been told that seattle has a good corporate industry. Can anyone speak about that? I'm looking to start my lighting retirement plan (video) so corporate industry is really more important than theater or or rock. 

Something interesting I found was that according to annual rain reports, portland and seattle actually have less rain days per year. Apparently the overcast and gloom is really what is real character of weather rather than actual rain.....


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## controlremoto (Jan 16, 2013)

Less rain compared to nyc. And miami where I'm originally from nearly doubles in rain days


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## controlremoto (Jan 17, 2013)

zmb said:


> Not that I speak about the local theatrical industry, but have you considered Seattle as well? One hour to hiking and climbing, add another half hour for a ski/snowboard area and more hiking. Outside of the mountains and closer to Seattle, temps rarely above 80 during the summer and not staying below 30 during winter days. We've also got the REI Flagship store plus a bunch of small and local outdoor-oriented stores.
> 
> On Portland, the main interstate through the city is needs another lane and is way too curvy for an interstate. They do have neat bridges though.




Yes I am now considering Seattle! If anyone can speak on the state of production in Seattle that would be great. I'm not too interested in proper theater but if the money is green Ill do whatever but Im mainly concerned with the corporate world, fashion, socal etc. 

The population of seattle vs portland is about 10x greater so that must indicate a better event industry right?


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## controlremoto (Jan 20, 2013)

*Seattle? Hows the Industry? .....possible relocation from NYC*

Thanks all I think I will start a thread about Seattle now.


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## controlremoto (Jan 20, 2013)

*Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

Hi,

So I started another thread about moving to DEN OR PDX and some suggested Seattle. So I thought I should start a thread directly inquiring about the Seattle industry. Back story is I'm highly considering moving to a new environmental for a few years to better take advantage of the mountains as boarding and mtn biking has gotten the better of me. I currently live in NYC and Ive made a pretty good living out here in just a short time (moved from Miami in 2009). 
I dont expect Seattle to stand up to LA Chicago or NYC but I want to know what its strengths are. Is there a thriving freelance community? I currently freelance as a programmer and ME w/ some Design. Mostly Corporate (general session, Gala) and Rock. I also do a fair share of social events and Fashion. Basically everything but traditional Theater. Also Im looking to switch to Video 100%.


Would I be better off looking for a full time gig?


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## CBR372 (Jan 20, 2013)

*Re: Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

In Seattle you do have a ton of corporate events (Due to the fact that Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, and many others having their headquarters there). However I found it was kind of hard getting a foot in the door, but someone with a better resume might be able to have a better chance. Also being in Seattle means you can easily get to both Vancouver or Portland for gigs. 

The outdoors and adventuring opportunities are endless. From downtown Seattle you can be in the mountains in an hour (or less) or you can go to the coast in about 2 hours.


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## ruinexplorer (Jan 20, 2013)

*Re: Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

When I was considering moving out of Arizona (before getting my gig in Vegas), I had been looking at Seattle since I have family near there. I called the local IA to see what their average work load was annually. The next couple of weeks I received a few calls from them asking when I would be there and if I could get there to take a call. This was five or six years ago, but they seemed plenty busy at the time.


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## gafftaper (Jan 21, 2013)

*Re: Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

While Seattle and Portland are great, I bet the cost of living in Denver is quite a bit lower. Housing is terrible here. A 75+ year old 2 bedroom house in a mediocre neighborhood in Seattle can run $350k (down from $450 before the crash). There is work here but as was said, it can be tough breaking through and getting connected.


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## zmb (Jan 21, 2013)

*Re: Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

This doesn't have dollar amounts attached, but Seattle is easily more expensive than Denver.


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## controlremoto (Jan 21, 2013)

*Re: Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

No Doubt that Seattle is more expensive than Denver. The ironic part of working in this industry is that while its not the most lucrative career it requires you to be close to some of the most expensive cities in the world! So coming from NYC I've already swallowed that bitter pill. I'm more interested in the strength and quality of the industry. Seattle sounds like its adding up. 

Seattle being hard to break into is concerning but as long as there is work to be had I'm ready to put in the work to open doors. 

Burning question. Having come from Miami initially I found that the pay increase "as a freelancer" was around 30% Does anyone have any experience as to what I can expect coming from NYC to DEN, PDX or Seattle? I don't want to scare potential employees but I don't want to short myself either. 

I realize this not an easy question to answer and I'm definitely not asking people what there rate is. % wise from and to I figure would be easier for someone to divulge. 
It took me a long time to figure out the NYC range of pay and I'm hoping to speed that process for my next move.


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## gafftaper (Jan 21, 2013)

*Re: Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

TPS (Theater of Puget Sound) is the local hangout for all things theater and would be one of the first places for you to start connecting with the Seattle area. Sadly, it's been a long time since I've done anything outside of the educational world so I can't tell you what the going freelancer rate is.


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## controlremoto (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: Seattle? How is the Industry?....relocating from NYC*

Ill look into the TPS thanks. Thanks for everyone's input. I feel a bit more secure with the idea of leaving. NYC will always be there in case I hate it or go broke. Im giving myself a year to make the transition and my GF has to do a lot of prep of her own. Well I figure this is where the thread will end. Partly because I don't really know what else to ask but mainly because the crickets come out when you ask about rates lol.


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