This month, New Mexico officials announced that film, television, and digital media spending in the state last year was over $855 million dollars.
On Tuesday, state lawmakers and higher education officials announced plans that aim to create more opportunities for those interested in working in the industry with the creation of the first satellite campus for New Mexico’s Next Generation Media Academy scheduled to be located at the NMSU Arrowhead Center in Las Cruces.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was on hand to make the announcement. The Governor worked with state lawmakers to secure $40 million in funding to make the academy a reality and has supported tax incentives aimed to grow the industry across the state.
“With the tax Credit, the rural tax incentive and now a film school that trains those workers and entrepreneurs, that’s how you get talking about $855 million. This means that we can sustain it for decades,” Governor Lujan Grisham said.
State Senator and Film Las Cruces President Jeff Steinborn says initiatives like this can help strengthen the workforce for the industry in our region.
“And the more students we can bring here to Las Cruces and we can bring up from the community then the more attractive we will be to recruit the film industry in our area,” Senator Steinborn said.
Higher education often can be expensive costs money, but Stephanie Rodriguez Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Higher Education Department Stephanie Rodriguez says help may be available for students in New Mexico.
“The students who will be enrolling in the next generation film academy will qualify for opportunity scholarships. Additionally, will also be able to cover associate's degrees through the lottery scholarships,” Secretary Rodriguez said.
The Next Generation Media Academy satellite campus in Las Cruces is scheduled to open for students in 2023 as a partnership between New Mexico State University and The Doña Ana Community College.
