George R.R. Martin starts non-profit film foundation in Santa Fe

(Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)

George R.R. Martin, who you may know as the guy behind the Song of Ice and Fire novels — possibly, I dunno — has a new side project: he’s launched a non-profit company called the Stagecoach Foundation in his hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico. A Santa Fe resident donated a building — formerly the headquarters of Daylight Chemical Information Systems — to Martin. It will serve as the operation’s office, and include pre and post-production spaces. Martin hopes the foundation will attract filmmakers big and small to the area. “Our dream is to bring more jobs to the people of Santa Fe, and to help train the young people of the city for careers in the entertainment industry, through internships, mentoring, and education,” he wrote on his Not a Blog.

Local authorities are giddy over the prospect of pumping Hollywood money into the area. “What this means for the city specifically is more film infrastructure,” said Santa Fe mayor Javier Gonzales. “As a foundation and a non-profit, [Martin’s] vision to make this facility accessible and affordable [so filmmakers can have a place] where they can go and create.”

As Gonzales says above, the first filmmakers to benefit from the foundation will be Joel and Ethan Coen, the guys behind movies like Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men.

And now that we have all the info out there, let’s get the primal fan scream out of the way: ‘WHY IS HE STARTING A FILM COMPANY WHEN THE WINDS OF WINTER STILL ISN’T FINISHED?’

Okay, I’m glad that’s over. Also, as Martin noted in a later blog post, he’s not overseeing day-to-day operations or anything. Best of luck to the Stagecoach Foundation.

h/t Albuquerque Journal