Nathan Lefever, a 2014 graduate of New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute, has been the equipment manager for the department since 2022.
“(The equipment room) is a central space in our department, which houses cameras, lighting tools and sound equipment for faculty and students to use on their film or animated projects,” Lefever said. “I also help manage our facilities, making sure that our computer labs are always functional, making sure our 7.1-surround sound and 4K-capable theater is working for class lectures and screenings and anything else that comes up to keep CMI working.”
“Nate is unflappable in the face of chaos,” said Amy Lanasa, CMI department head. “The ER is the heart of the digital film program. 95% of our classes are reliant on that equipment, and Nate makes sure it’s ready for classes, available for students’ homework, and that faculty members communicate about their assignment schedules so we can make sure everyone has everything they need. Additionally, Nate makes sure that our computer labs are working, software is up to date and he oversees two graduate assistants and three undergraduate student assistants. He’s doing the jobs of four people, and he’s great at all of them.”
Before becoming the full-time equipment manager, Lefever has worked on and off as an adjunct CMI faculty member since 2018, and he continues to teach one or two classes each semester.
An average day for Lefever consists of checking requests and pulling equipment needed by faculty or students and loading equipment into carts to be distributed. On a teaching day, he also will do last-minute prep for his class, then load the equipment and take to KRWG studios, which is used as a production classroom.
After class, he returns to the equipment room, supervises student workers and checks over each piece of equipment as it is returned to determine necessary repairs to keep it maintained and available for students and faculty to use. Lefever does more than just check out equipment, he is also a sounding board for students and hosts workshops outside class to help students get more one-on-one experience with the gear.
“There’s always something different going on, but it’s all centered around what I enjoy doing most – being on set and continuing to learn and grow as a filmmaker and educator," Lefever said.