828 Productions moves to New Mexico and plans to build a studio complex –

California-based 828 Productions will join Netflix and NBCUniversal in establishing a new full-service movie and production store in New Mexico, the state governor’s office announced Wednesday.

Over the next six years, 828 Productions plans to invest $75 million to build a 300,000-square-foot studio and 20-acre site in Las Cruces. He plans to shoot his first studio production by the end of the year and spend $350 million on production over the next decade. (Recent 828 Productions films include Helena is dead, who walks s To fall.)

Todd Lundbom, founder and CEO of 828 Productions, said in a statement that the headquarters move was “taking root.” He continued: “This is a city on the rise, with many opportunities waiting to be seized. At 828, we’re passionate about storytelling and filmmaking as an art form, but we’re also passionate about creating a studio environment that also inspires positivity behind the scenes.”

New Mexico will commit $3 million to the Local Economic Development Act job creation fund project aimed at encouraging companies to relocate to the state if the company achieves a goal of creating at least 100 full-time jobs. .

Pending City Council approval and a participation agreement on the project, Las Cruces will also provide an additional $897,000 in job creation funds. The city could provide an additional $2.8 million for theater infrastructure, bringing the total potential state and municipal funding for the project to $6.7 million.

828 Productions began expanding its production operations in New Mexico in May, with the purchase of a 7,500-square-foot office building in downtown Las Cruces for professional training, post-production and visual effects operations. An agreement is being finalized to purchase an additional 35 acres of land in the same area, which already has existing structures providing a soundstage and building space.

With New Mexico’s job creation investment, 828 Productions will become the state’s third-largest film partner after Netflix and NBCUniversal, which have invested heavily in content production in the state over the next decade. The partnership model was a key provision of legislation signed by the governor in 2019 that revised New Mexico’s film and television tax credit program to catalyze continued investment in Hollywood.

New Mexico’s strong tax breaks of 25 to 35 percent for films in the state have attracted a slew of productions in recent years. Lawmakers doubled the program’s annual cap from $50 million to $110 million in 2019. Since then, the state has continued to receive more money from the entertainment industry: Spending has doubled from $292 million in 2020 to $626. .5 million in 2021 Direct spending on Hollywood in New Mexico in fiscal year 2022, which ended in June, was a record $855 million. 30

Las Cruces is included in New Mexico’s “improvement” incentive zone, which gives producers an additional 5% tax credit for shooting in rural areas. The stimulus would see rural communities see nearly $50 million in direct spending in 2022, a six-fold increase from the previous year, according to the governor’s office.

the first season Walker: Independence s removed Except the second season. cleaning lady The shooting began in the state recently.

“New Mexico is seeing record numbers in the film and television industry and spending is on the rise, and this is no accident,” State Governor Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Not only are we investing in studios like 828 Productions, but we’re expanding training the industry’s workforce with new film schools in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, and it’s paying off.”

In the near future, New Mexico may see more competition for products from neighboring states. In July, Arizona raised the cap on the tax credit program to $75 million, with another $50 million through 2025. Lawmakers cited a desire to compete with New Mexico’s Hollywood dollar.