uStudios is constructing The Lot, a 19-acre campus designed as a one-stop hub with a 50,000-square-foot prop house and a 44,000-square-foot complex with two digital soundstages, a creative hub and a post-production space.
Source: New Mexico Film Office
Cover Photo: Courtesy (“Conceptual rendering of the uStudio Pictures production campus (The Lot) at 336 Woodward Rd SE in Albuquerque courtesy of uStudios Pictures. Final design and site conditions may vary.”)
ANTA FE — The New Mexico Film Office welcomes uStudios as its newest film partner, a collaboration that will begin with more than 200 New Mexico jobs on Michael Keaton’s Western thriller “Rode to Ruin,” produced by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment and Keaton’s George & Leona Productions.
uStudios, a New Mexico-based production company, joins Netflix and NBCUniversal as state film partners, an agreement that offers the company additional tax incentives in exchange for a 10-year commitment to produce in New Mexico with an average annual spend of $50 million a year, a $35 million investment in infrastructure, a commitment to workforce education and training, and contributions toward marketing New Mexico Film.
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uStudios is constructing The Lot, a 19-acre campus designed as a one-stop hub with a 50,000-square-foot prop house and a 44,000-square-foot complex with two digital soundstages, a creative hub and a post-production space.
Keaton will direct and star in “Rode to Ruin” opposite Morgan Freeman and Laura Linney, with a production that will employ 150 New Mexico resident crew members, 75 New Mexico background actors and 4 New Mexicans in supporting roles. Filming in Santa Fe County begins this month and runs through Oct. 29.
“Every new project creates jobs, supports local businesses and opens doors for New Mexicans to build careers,” said Cabinet Secretary for Economic Development Rob Black. “Partnerships like this help create more opportunities for New Mexicans to build their futures and find good jobs right here at home.”
“This is the kind of long-term investment we want to see in New Mexico,” said New Mexico Film Office Director Steve Graham. “uStudios is building a presence here and investing in what New Mexico can offer the industry for years to come.”
“The New Mexico crew is among the finest I have had the pleasure of working with,” said Producer Lori McCreary. “The talent and craftsmanship are exceptional, but what really stands out is the spirit of collaboration. The entire team shows up every day ready to solve problems, support one another, and make the film better. They are all true artists.”
Rick Metz, uStudios principal, said the campus is built by New Mexicans for New Mexico and is designed to make the state indispensable to the future of media.
”The campus will also bring local professionals together with transportation and production equipment,” Metz said. “Through our relationship with Sony, digital technology is being integrated throughout the studio, allowing us to offer world-class virtual production infrastructure and real-time workflows to produce emerging media formats.”
Founded in 2014, uStudios is a production service company that specializes in film, commercial, reality,music, comedy, news and sports production for TV, online, theatrical and on-demand distribution.
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