New Mexico Set To Build $40 Million Media Academy With Sound Stages
deadline.comNew Mexico’s government has allocated $40 million in funding for the establishment of a new film, TV and digital academy in Albuquerque dubbed the Next Generation Media Academy.The funding, which New Mexico Gov.
Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law March 9, will cover equipment and material costs to train up New Mexicans to work in the state’s thriving film, television and digital media industry.NGMA will be located in Bernalillo County and will provide state-of-the-art sound stages, equipment, technology and materials.
A proposed satellite campus in Las Cruces is also in development, with plans to offer bilingual training programs. Once constructed, NGMA has an initial goal of admitting 1,000 students per year.According to the New Mexico Film Office, an estimated 9,000 New Mexicans are employed in the state’s film, television and digital media industry and in 2021, when a total of 103 productions registered with the local film organization to film across the state including the sixth and final season of AMC/Sony TV’s Better Call Saul, Amazon’s Outer Range, NBCUniversal’s MacGruber and Season 4 of Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Christopher Nolan’s latest feature Oppenheimer, which he’s making with Universal, is currently shooting in the state.Netflix and NBCUniversal have agreed to contribute financially to the academy and offer paid apprenticeships for students.
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