22 August 2023
SALINA, Kan. (KSNT) – More than 100 new jobs will be created thanks to a new investment in Kansas State University’s Salina campus by a Hollywood-based company.
Cassie Nichols with the Office of the Governor said in a press release that Pure Imagination Studios is partnering with K-State, the Salina Airport Authority and the state of Kansas to create an advanced spatial computing studio and learning center. The investment, totaling $41 million, will create 101 new jobs and is the largest investment in K-State’s Salina campus.
Nichols said the new studio and learning center will be named the Kansas Advanced Immersive Research for Emerging Systems (K-AIRES). The studio will feature state-of-the-art equipment for the exploration of aerospace, manufacturing, entertainment, defense, training, simulation and more.
“K-AIRES shows the benefits of combining two of Kansas’ greatest resources – our universities and pro-business economy – to better prepare our students to join the modern workforce,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This partnership is creating more of the high-tech jobs and exciting opportunities that will keep more of our graduates right here in Kansas.”
Nichols said construction on the studio will begin later this fall. The studio will encompass 58,000 square feet and will require 150 workers to be hired for its construction.
“Pure Imagination’s selection of Kansas shows that our state’s investment in talent and leveraging higher education to support economic development is working,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “By following the Kansas Framework for Growth and pulling every lever we’ve got, we are creating ‘knowledge jobs’ right here in communities like Salina.”
Nichols said Pure Imagination Studios is an award-winning independent entertainment studio known for combining proprietary technology with groundbreaking storytelling. Some of the partners of the company include DreamWorks, FOX, The LEGO Group, Marvel Entertainment, Merlin, Netflix, Rovio, Six Flags, Warner Bros., and others.
“We are establishing the world’s first spatial computing studio that trains leaders of our future to create revolutionary technology to develop valuable solutions that help humanity leave the world in a better place than we found it,” Pure Imagination founder Joshua Wexler said. “The decision to build the studio at K-State Salina was driven by the school’s and state’s thriving ecosystem and their commitment to fostering cutting-edge research and development.”
To learn more about Pure Imagination Studios, click here.