Built with the aim of turning lakeside into a hub for technology and film-making enterprises, the once-promising Chapala Media Park has become a dusty white elephant government-backed project marked by the towering pink monolith at its entrance gate.
Located a short distance off the Libramiento bypass, the multimedia production complex is laid out on half of the four-hectare plot of land donated to the state by the municipal government.
The site comprises a software business center designed to house technology outfits the fields of animation, special effects, 3-D imaging, audiovisuals, sound track and dubbing productions, video games and applications for new generation telephones at one end, and a cutting-edge film studio annex on the opposite side.
The Media Park was inaugurated to great fanfare in March 2010, with former governor Emilio Gonzalez Marquez, leaders of the state’s tech industry and some big name Mexican film stars in attendance.
Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Gonzalez bragged that the new facility would strengthen Jalisco’s position as a leader in information and communication technology, boost the economic dynamics of the region, generate hundreds of high-paying jobs for techies and open up creative outlets for talented artists, writers, film directors and actors.
Fade out to the current panorama of Chapala Media Park languishing in total abandon, save a Chapala police officer standing guard at the gate.
Operations got off to a strong start with Kaxan Media Group setting up shop in the software center to produce Batallón 52, a series of 90-second animated clips on historical themes related to the celebration of Mexico’s Independence Bicentennial and Revolution Centennial.
The company also developed video games for Apple and other mobile device platforms. It was the incubator of Taco Master, one of the first Mexican-made apps to gain widespread popularity. The firm bailed from the Media Park several years ago, maintaining headquarters in Guadalajara.
Gyroscopik Studios remains as the sole tenant, keeping multimedia equipment on the premises, although production work has halted since last year.
The film studio has been occupied sporadically, primarily for shooting the feature-length Mexican movies “31 Días” released in 2013 and 2015’s “Monstruosamente Solo.”
The facility was used in 2014 to tape the 13 episodes of “El Emprendedor México,” a reality show contest for business entrepreneurs.
According to a recent article published in Guadalajara daily Mural, funding for maintenance of the Media Park, channeled through the State Council of Science and Technology, has been cut back from one million pesos in 2013 to zero over the past two years. Prospects for its revival appear grim.