New UNM dean hails Netflix growth

AS THE NEW dean of the College of Fine Arts in New Mexico’s flagship educational institution, the University of New Mexico, I want to express my sincere appreciation of the news that Netflix is expanding its footprint here in the Land of Enchantment, at Mesa del Sol, specifically, which is at UNM’s backyard.

I find this particularly exciting based on the additional news Albuquerque was identified the third year in a row as the Best Place to Live and Work as a Movie Maker.

Our college’s own Film and Digital Arts Department has grown in enrollment exponentially over the years in concert with the revitalization of this special industry here, and we welcome Netflix’s obligatory development with the hope we can provide the needed, eager workforce it will require.

As a working actor in Seattle in the ’90s, I was disheartened to see many productions literally fly overhead to Vancouver, Canada, because of the lack of creative and political will to seduce film production in all its layered aspects. That is why I call on my colleagues and representatives to support the incentives and opportunities for film and digital arts to thrive here in New Mexico, my new home.

I speak not only on my behalf, but the many talented students enrolled in our college, and those seeking to stay in-state, pursuing their dreams.

HARRIS D. SMITH Dean, College of Fine Arts University of New Mexico