Portland film scene?

From what I have seen after 4 years living in the area after a long stint in Los Angeles, it is extremely difficult to make a decent living working in production or post in the Portland area. The real gigs are far and few between, the pay tends to be very low, and the competition is high due to a lot of creative types in the area.

You will find a lot of "it's a great project but we can't pay anyone" or Portlandia-lite web series around (the kind with hand-drawn cover art featuring a bearded guy with glasses/girls with bangs and scored with ukelele and glockenspiel), which may or may not be your thing. Bigger shows tend to hire established/experienced local crew or bring in their own people. There are a few ad agencies in town and corporate gigs but these are not film, they are advertising/marketing.

As a hobby or side gig it is possible to get involved, but it would be wise to have a main source of income that is not dependent on the tiny film market in the PNW. The only way I am able to make a living is due to the strong connections I have with companies in LA/SF, which are much bigger markets. Otherwise I would be working in the woods as a choker setter.

I would suggest if you are serious about getting involved with film, move to LA. It's where most of the work is and not that hard to break in provided you have a clear plan and realistic expectations (working as a grunt for five years or so to get established). If you are lucky you will move away from LA after getting enough clients, getting sick of the rat race, or just failing in your quest. It's the reality of the business. It's also possible you might really like LA!

As far as where to start in stumptown there are a few Portland-specific filmmaking groups on Facebook, but they are mainly just piranha ponds for hungry people trying to find work.

craigslist?

Every major city has multiple production facilities for creating content. Make a list of the top ten and offer your services as a freelance grip. Every shoot needs a grip.

Best thing about gripping is that there is a lot of heavy lifting involved. The ability to shut up while camera is rolling and haul ass when it isn't is very marketable.

Offer the production houses two free shoots as a grip so they can get to see how you move. Filmmakers are very picky about staff and will always be scouting for talent.

Commercial work is the best and pays well. Feature films are the worst. If you want to eat, be open minded about any shoot you are invited to be a part of.

Every university has a communications department. There are tons of students with access to a ton of gear. You can network these students to give you a lot of pro-bono or free work to help you get a foothold. When they move up, they will take you with them.

Filmmakers do not want the valedictorian. They want the guy selling cigarettes in the bathroom. Meaning get crafty. I used to go into these production houses looking to hire a crew. They will treat you like a customer. When you are in front of the producers face-to-face offer your services as a trade. It wasn't more then a few weeks and I'd be getting paid work.

You can make it anywhere if you have passion.