Hmm... no canadian cities. Either this list only tallied american locations, or I must have to move to the states. 😛

I think this is just the US - certainly Vancouver is more than a match for Seattle or Portland.

Twilight will be shot in Vancouver, not Portland.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1586610/oregon_loses_twilight_sequel_new_moon.html?cat=40

Furthermore, Seattle is also losing out to Vancouver.

http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-et-seattle30dec30,0,2360323.story

With all this in mind, because Canada is an oil state, it may be suffering from the oil curse - the price of oil is raising its currency so high that it's driving out the other industries. So, if not for the price of oil, I would consider staying in Vancouver over Seattle or Portland - or any other city besides LA or NY.

Where in Canada are you?

I live in Saskatchewan, so right smack dab in the middle of the country far away from everything. 😉 Regardless, like you said, it's great to hear though that you don't need to be in Hollywood to make it.

In most industries, you don't need to be in one locale, but the arts will always be different, because of its inherently unpredictable nature. No one could possibly have thought "Sukiyaki" would become a hit in American in the 1950's, just a few years after the war, and no one would have thought Star Wars would be bigger than Smokey the Bandit.

So, yes, usually you don't have to be in Hollywood, but I don't know of a single major production that is made outside LA, NY, and Vancouver. That said, twenty years ago, no one would have thought little Vancouver would become the third largest film production center on the continent.

So film seems to play by its own rules, and I'm trying to figure out what those rules are.