Doug Lee, Managing Director, WESST Enterprise Center

A digital media studio that opens soon at the 3-year-old WESST Enterprise Center business incubator in downtown Albuquerque will provide more resources to entrepreneurs and small businesses in New Mexico.

When the Comcast Digital Media Studio opens in July, WESST will have a studio to film workshops we can then stream live to all our offices in New Mexico.  This means our workshops will have a uniform message for our resident and non-resident clients, regardless of whether they’re based in Albuquerque or at our satellite offices in Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Roswell and Farmington.  Of the estimated 1250 business incubators in the U.S., fewer than six have video studios.

The studio was originally designed as a resource mainly for New Mexico-based filmmakers when the state’s film industry was experiencing rapid growth. We have complemented those plans to include:

• Location for the creation of e-learning, business content focused on the new entrepreneur in both New Mexico and throughout the U.S.
• Green screen cyclorama for film and video game industries
• A facility for live, interactive streaming of education and business-related content
• A project to provide collaboration and intern opportunities between WESST and UNM and CNM and other institutions of higher learning
• A professional recording facility for use by marketing and advertising agencies
• A film studio with quality computer editing, cameras,  audio and projection equipment

The studio also will be used to produce short, informative videos that business owners can access on the WESST website.  By providing quick answers to the kinds of questions clients often ask, these videos should make it easier for businesses to more efficiently navigate WESST’s support and service system.  Especially exciting is the opportunity the studio will present for community media artists and filmmakers.  It’s envisioned as a place where community and business groups can conduct meetings and film them or stream them live to remote locations.

Studio Design at WESST Enterprise Center

This green screen technology is most commonly seen in television weather reports where the actual weather map is a computer-generated image inserted on a green screen.  The weather forecaster sees only the green screen while the audience sees the forecaster and the map.  In film, it also allows animation and human actors to interact seamlessly.

We at WESST are excited about the many ways the studio will complement New Mexico’s business assistance programs – those provided by other organizations and those WESST has long provided for our member companies and any New Mexico resident needing guidance or capital to start or build a business.  Between 2009 and 2011, businesses at the incubator created 197 new jobs and $23.3 million in revenue, and we expect that number to grow as businesses make use of this rare resource.

For more information about WESST’s business assistance programs and workshops, visit www.wesst.org.

Download 234_Video Studio to Connect Businesses to Resources PDF