A vacant Santa Fe courthouse was transformed this week into a U.S. Embassy in the Middle East, thanks to the magic of television.
Crews have been filming in downtown Santa Fe for the USA Network pilot, "Stanistan," the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
The dramedy follows CIA officers, State Department employees and journalists working out of an American compound. "Dexter" star Jennifer Carpenter headlines the series. It also co-stars Zach Gilford ("Friday Night Lights") and Jonathan Cake ("Desperate Housewives").
An entrance of the former state District Court building was guarded by gray walls topped with barbed wire on Thursday. A U.S. government seal was attached to the main doors with numerous sandbags lining the walkway.
The production shut down parts of the streets near the courthouse, covering one portion with mud.
Showrunner Michael Duggan says the production, which started Tuesday, is also using Santa Fe Studios south of the city. The props added to the building should be down in a few days depending on the shooting schedule, Duggan said.
Duggan praised Santa Fe as a "film-friendly town." He said it wasn't known yet where else the 160-member crew will film.
The 56,000-square-foot building has remained empty since court operations moved to another building in June 2013. The County Commission approved a plan in March to raze the courthouse and erect a new one.
In the meantime, the property has found new life as a movie set. The space was used for a Lifetime TV movie, "Jubilee," and the now-cancelled A&E crime drama, "Longmire."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More