In 2018, the Tesuque Pueblo, a small Native American tribe based outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, was trying to decide what to do with their old casino. The tribe had built a new, updated gaming facility, and their economic development board was considering converting their 1950s-era casino lot into a water park, a ropes course or a glamping destination. Another, almost offhand suggestion the group entertained was opening a movie studio.
New Mexico was emerging as a production hotbed, luring films and TV shows with a strong tax incentive, deep crew base, sunny weather and short flights to L.A. Netflix has committed to spending more than $1 billion on production in the state and is expanding its studio in Albuquerque, and Universal has pledged to spend $500 million. But in…