ABOUT

Nelda Studios is an Austin-based multimedia company with a mission to spark and nurture imagination and creativity through storytelling, broad access to the arts, and community events that provide opportunities to grow and innovate through creative media.

Founded by Karl and Nelda Buckman in 2022, we produce original, thought-provoking content for film, television, streaming, and stage. Through The Buckman Fund, we support local organizations and educational institutions by helping provide the next generation of creatives with the tools they need to develop and showcase their talents. Just announced and opening in 2023, the Buckman Center at The University of Texas at Austin will establish a new cutting-edge collaboration space for creatives, designers, and technologists at the School of Design and Creative Technologies.

OUR FOUNDERS

Karl and Nelda Buckman recognize the critical role of creativity in innovation, design, problem-solving, and the human experience. The Buckmans’ early grassroots efforts began with providing creative opportunities for the community, from funding arts programs for low-income school districts in Texas to supporting small-town theater. Using that success to create opportunities in the arts, Karl and Nelda founded Nelda Studios with a focus on producing feature documentary films, Broadway theater, television series, and other impactful media content. They also created The Karl and Nelda Buckman Fund in 2021 to lift, nurture, and expand opportunities for creativity and the arts. A marquee fund initiative will be opening the Buckman Center at the School of Design and Creative Technologies at The University of Texas at Austin in 2023. The Center will be a collaboration and research space for educators, students, artists, designers, and technologists. Karl and Nelda’s efforts also bring together organizations to support underserved communities.

Karl Buckman descends from a long line of impactful innovators and problem solvers. At the height of World War II, his grandfather, biochemist Dr. Stanley Buckman, founded Buckman Laboratories, creating innovative chemical biocides that controlled bacteria in paper manufacturing, at a time when daily newspaper war updates were critical. Since then, the company has grown exponentially, providing countless chemical solutions for industries, including industrial water treatment. Following those same footsteps, Karl Buckman is making a difference through innovation and opportunity in the arts and creative spheres. After a decade of working for the family company, Karl devotes his time to philanthropy, including the support of arts programs for children.

Nelda Buckman has a deep commitment to creativity and a strong belief in the value of creative self-expression. After graduating from Stephen F. Austin University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology, Nelda served as a speech pathologist and later as an elementary art teacher for the Goose Creek Independent School District near Houston. She witnessed firsthand the positive impact and importance of self-expression for children. In her eight years as a public school art teacher, Nelda saw the long-lasting effects of arts education. “It never goes away, and it’s always there for them. We all need it. It burdens my heart to think that some people don’t have access to the arts.” Her love of the arts began early in life and has continued through community engagement with live theater, an independent study of fine art, and practice through her encaustic home studio.

Through Nelda Studios, Karl and Nelda Buckman are bringing creative experiences to the community, providing opportunities for creative innovation, and impacting the future of the arts, creative technologies, entertainment, and design.