Month: February 2009

Albuquerque, NM (February, 2009) – ReelzChannel®—TV About Movies(TM), has chosen the state-of-the-art Albuquerque Studios for its new corporate headquarters located in New Mexico’s “Hollywood Southwest.” The network has signed a lease for 30,000 square feet of office and production space, making it the largest long-term tenant at the illustrious facility. The studio has been home to many top film and television productions since 2007, including Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, Game, The Spirit, Breaking Bad and In Plain Sight.

Build-out of the studio’s office and technical spaces will begin immediately, with a design from Albuquerque-based architecture firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini. Construction will be managed by Klinger Constructors and will be completed just months after the network’s plans to relocate were announced. The target move-in date is May 1, 2009, when ReelzChannel’s programming, production, Web development, creative services, marketing and communications divisions all will be housed and operated out of one location for the first time.

“Albuquerque Studios provides the right combination of office and studio space to support our streamlined operations,” said Stan E. Hubbard, CEO of ReelzChannel. “We are looking forward to joining the New Mexico community and are thrilled to be so close to the state’s world-class movie and television professionals at this thriving production facility.”

Nick Smerigan, COO of Albuquerque Studios had this to say about The ReelzChannel move, “We are extremely pleased to welcome ReelzChannel to our campus and to our group of leading production related businesses. This is a world-class addition to our facility and to the entire film and television production community here in New Mexico.”

“It comes as no surprise that ReelzChannel has landed at Albuquerque Studios. This network is a great fit for an incredible facility and brings a very fitting component to the overall production center that continues to build at the studio complex.” added Albuquerque Mayor, Martin Chavez.

Albuquerque Studios – Opened in mid-2007, Albuquerque Studios (www.abqstudios.com) is a purpose-built motion picture and television production facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico and includes some of largest and tallest stages ever built outside of Hollywood. Its 28-acre campus is comprised of 8 world-class soundstages totaling 168,000 square feet, 100,000 square feet of mill / production support space and 100,000 square feet of full service production office space. Soundstages are paired, allowing clients to open two 18,000 sf stages to one, large 36,000 sf as well as open two 24,000 sf stages to one, massive 48,000 sf soundstage 55 feet to the grid. The studio  hosts production on campus and supports production all over the southwest with the help of a full suite of production support departments and partner companies. Albuquerque Studios also acts as facilities manager for the City of Albuquerque-owned historic Santa Fe Railyard facility in downtown Albuquerque for all entertainment related business.

ReelzChannel® —TV About Movies(TM), is the only cable/satellite network and website dedicated to everything about movies. The network and website (http://www.reelzchannel.com) feature entertaining original programs and content that offer a fresh perspective on movies, from behind-the-scenes movie clips and new release movie reviews to the latest movie trailers and suggestions for what to see tonight at home or in the theater. On ReelzChannel.com movie fans can check movie times with local movie theater listings, find new movies currently playing on TV and watch full-length movie trailers. In addition to extensive cable and telco carriage in markets across the country, ReelzChannel TV is carried via satellite on DIRECTV (Channel 238) and DISH Network (Channel 299), and is reaching more than 43 million homes nationwide. Local channel information is available on the website’s home page  through a zip code look-up. Owned by Hubbard Media Group, ReelzChannel will be moving its headquarters from St. Paul to Albuquerque in May 2009. The network also operates out of offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.

The stage hands and set builders from Warner Bros/Alcon Entertainment are all over Carrizozo, transforming 12th Street into a small-town wasteland. Filming here begins around March 3rd for “The Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. The action thriller will film also film in and around Alamogordo, Santa Fe and Albuquerque from February through May 2009. “The Book of Eli” takes place in the not-too-distant future, across the wasteland of what once was America. A lone warrior, Eli (Washington), must fight to bring society the knowledge (the sacred Book of Eli) that could be the key to its redemption. Producers include Joel Silver, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, and Denzel Washington.

While you’re in town checking out the sets, don’t miss a visit to Vera Cruz Mountain Ranch for look at our magnificent 140-acre lots!

Investment Expands and Enhances Network to Stay Ahead of Growing Demand For Wireless Calling, Data Access, Navigation, Music and More

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., /PRNewswire/ — Wireless users in New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, are making more wireless calls and using more data services thanks to Verizon Wireless’ more than $30 million network investment in 2008. That’s an average of more than $80,000 per day spent to provide customers with the reliable, high-quality service they expect from Verizon Wireless.

The company’s ongoing network investment now totals more than $275 million in New Mexico and El Paso and more than $50 billion nationally over the past eight years. The 2008 enhancements significantly increase the number of calls and data transmissions the Verizon Wireless network can handle.

“Our customers are texting, handling e-mail, downloading music, visiting Web sites, sharing pictures and videos, and making calls at a record pace. Last year in New Mexico and El Paso, wireless data traffic increased nearly 150 percent from 2007,” said Tony Heyman, regional president, Verizon Wireless.

“That’s why we built the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless network, and why we will continue to invest to make it better.”

The 2008 network investment includes adding 10 new cell sites in New Mexico and El Paso, updating and adding capacity to many others, and further improving backup power capabilities to improve network reliability and add new services.

The multi-million dollar enhancement also includes expansion of the company’s 3G high-speed wireless network throughout New Mexico and El Paso. Customers can access advanced wireless services at even faster broadband speeds, including:

  --  V CAST -- a multimedia service that allows customers to stream video
      clips, play cutting-edge 3D games, download full-song music tracks
      over-the-air, and get turn-by-turn audible driving directions and
      traffic updates with VZ Navigator(SM).
  --  Mobile Broadband -- a service that allows customers to wirelessly
      access their e-mail and calendars, the Internet, and other information
      anytime on a secure connection.

Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the fourth quarter of 2008 with organic growth totaling 1.4 million net customer additions, essentially all of which were retail. Following the recently completed Alltel acquisition, Verizon Wireless now serves more than 80 million customers, excluding markets to be divested.

Truth is, when you read something like “First Chocoholics in U.S. Found in New Mexico?” you can’t hold back a smile. That was the title of a recent article published by the venerable National Geographic News, which stated “Chemical residues found on pottery jar shards reveal that the practice of drinking chocolate had spread at least as far north as Chaco Canyon in northern New Mexico by A.D. 1000 to 1125—400 years earlier than chocolate was thought to have reached what is now the United States.”

Read the full article here and don’t forget they serve free hot chocolate every Saturday after 3:15 PM on the Patio at Ski Apache, just minutes away from Vera Cruz Mountain Ranch!