Mexico’s Estudios GGM Unveils Three New Soundstages

Mexico’s largest indie production facility, Estudios GGM, is opening new soundstages as it restarts production activity in June. News comes as the country has begun to emerge from its Covid-19 lockdown.

The new stages, measuring between 10,000 to 13,000 sq. ft., will complement the studio’s six other soundstages. Construction of one soundstage is nearly complete while the other two are slated to be ready by November.

Launched in 2016 in response to the burgeoning demand for premium content from both OTTs and international linear networks, Estudios GGM has been providing stages, production offices, casting, editing, visual effects and other services to projects from Telemundo, Netflix, Amazon, Viacom, MGM and other companies. Some of the series shot here include: “Enemigo Intimo,” “Falsa Identidad,” “El Club,” “Luis Miguel: The Series” and “Ingobernable.” The studio houses the Netflix-certified picture and sound finishing facility, Cinematic Media. Just last February 2019, Netflix announced that it had chosen Mexico as its Latin American production hub, opening a local Mexico City office and unveiling 50 productions from the get-go.

“We built these stages to increase capacity and meet the needs of producers from around the world who want to shoot in Mexico,” said Estudios GGM CTIO Francisco Bonilla who cited the facility’s massive spaces, high ceilings and supporting resources meant to “accommodate a cinematic style of production.” This includes providing experienced local talent and crew and an expanded visual effects department that will feature high-end motion capture and virtual set technology.

The facility aims to be a one-stop shop as more content producers seek to minimize travel and location production in the middle of a pandemic.

In response to the new realities of living with the threat of the coronavirus, Estudios GGM has applied various health and safety protocols which include modifications to craft and catering services, thermal CCTV monitoring, periodic chemical, ozone and UV sanitization, and restricted access to facilities, sets and offices. The new stages will feature modular, multi-purpose spaces that will allow directors, cinematographers, control room crew and other personnel to work in isolation.

“We are working with local health officials and medical advisors to develop appropriate protocols,” noted Bonilla. “We are also monitoring the situations in Spain, Italy, Germany, Iceland, Australia and other countries where production has resumed. We are gathering as much information as possible to allow production to ramp up quickly, but safely.”

Located in Tlalnepantla, a fast-developing industrial area, the studios are a short distance from the major business districts and cultural attractions of central Mexico City and the international airport.