In a move extending the study and technology of filmmaking to southern New Mexico, studio facilities are set to be built on the Las Cruces campus of New Mexico State University.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, noting spending to the tune of $855 million on film production in the state last year, said the facilities go up inside NMSU’s growing Arrowhead Center, and will be used by students of both the four-year school as well as Dona Ana Community College.
That $855 million was up by some 35% over 2021.
The facilities will be a part of the Next Generation Media Academy, a certificate program offering film making training and paid apprenticeships.
The idea of the academy, supported by most state lawmakers, was officially proposed by Lujan Grisham as part of her 2022 legislative agenda earlier this year. Legislators subsequently approved a $40 million appropriation to open two locations for the academy: one in Albuquerque and the other in Las Cruces.
The academy in both locations is expected to include sound stages and technology and materials designed to train students for a variety of jobs in the film, television, and digital media industry.
In March, Alicia Keyes, Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Economic Development, predicted that having the academy up and running will “result in well-paying careers for New Mexicans as well as providing a large highly skilled workforce for this industry.”
By Garry Boulard
