Area Development
Full-service film and production company 828 Productions will establish its headquarters and a film production in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The $75 million project is expected to create at least 100 jobs over the next six years.

The firm began ramping up its production efforts in May 2022, purchasing?a 7,500-square foot office building downtown for training, post-production, and visual effects work. The company plans to build a?300,000-square-foot?studio and 20-acre backlot.

“We were looking for a home for 828 Studios and fell in love with Las Cruces,” Todd Lundbohm, Founder and CEO of 828 Productions, said. “This is a town on the rise, with a wealth of opportunity just waiting to be tapped into. At 828, we’re passionate about story and film as an art form, but we’re equally passionate about creating a studio environment that inspires positivity behind the scenes as well,” he continued.?“For us, it’s about putting down roots, and New Mexico, specifically Las Cruces, gives us the ideal place to do that.”

828 has finalized negotiations on an additional 35 acres of land downtown with existing structures that will provide soundstage and set construction space. The company intends to shoot its first production in the new studio before the end of 2022 and spend $350 million on productions over the next decade.

“828 Studios chose Las Cruces because of Gov. Lujan Grisham’s commitment to film and television job growth,” said Economic Development Department Secretary Alicia J. Keyes. “This is an industry that is highly mobile and can locate anywhere. They are coming to Las Cruces to create jobs here because we have put in place forward-thinking investments that are helping this industry thrive.”

As an incentive, the state of New Mexico will pledge $3 million?to the project from the Local Economic Development Act job creation fund as the company meets its job target.

The City of Las Cruces is considering an additional $897,000 in Local LEDA through capital appropriations, with an additional amount up to $2.8 million set aside by Las Cruces City Council specifically for cinematic infrastructure. These funds are pending City Council approval and finalization of a Project Participation Agreement.