Albuquerque Studios Expanding and Will Manage The Rail Yard with UDC



In an effort to meet the demand for stages and production support space, Albuquerque Studios (www.abqstudios.com) is expanding the campus. According to COO Nick Smerigan, construction has begun on two new stages and a 50,000 square foot Flex Building. Each stage will be 18,000 square feet, 35 feet high to the grid, 2400 amps of three phase power and a capability of 150 tons of chilled air. The pair of stages will be separated by a stationary sound wall and will feature 18 X 18 foot elephant doors for equipment access. The Flex Building will consist of 30,000 square feet of additional mill space and 20,000 square feet of new office space. Senior VP, Jeremy Hariton, who markets the facility said, "We are seeing a tremendous amount of interest in stage and production support space in Albuquerque. As an alternative to turning away clients, this new space will enable us to meet the increased demand and provide a home for more production activity on campus." This next phase of construction is set to be completed by June 1, 2008.

In other studio related news, Albuquerque Studios has entered into an exclusive agreement with Union Development Corporation to manage The Rail Yard, located in Albuquerque's Barelas neighborhood. The Studio will manage all production and entertainment related activities. This comes on the heels of UDC's exclusive overall arrangement with the City of Albuquerque to manage the storied property. Union Development Corporation's President, Jim Trump said "The entire organization is extremely excited to be involved in bringing this property back to life and seeing future development come to fruition."

Leba Freed, President of The Wheels Museum Inc., an anchor tenant on the site, had this to say about the new arrangement for the property "We look forward to working with UDC and Albuquerque Studios on the initial management of the rail site. This is a very positive step in revitalizing this important and historic property." City Councilor Isaac Benton added, "While the City works to develop a long-range redevelopment plan for the Rail Yards, it is important to ensure that the site is being properly maintained and put to good use. Albuquerque Studios and Build New Mexico are well equipped to assist the City in this effort by providing interim management and bringing in a source of revenue that will help improve and highlight this important, historic site."

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez had this to say about the new developments for Albuquerque Studios, "This is fabulous news! For Albuquerque, it's like winning the World Series and Super Bowl all at one time. It's difficult to put into words how many doors the Q Studios will be opening for New Mexicans. Congratulations!"

For further information please contact:

Gail Smerigan

VP Communications

Albuquerque Studios

505-227-2000

media @ abqstudios.com

www.abqstudios.com





Albuquerque Studios Expanding and Will Manage The Rail Yard with UDC