3M Studios Palm Desert
By Crystal Harrell
3M Studios Palm Desert is becoming one of the desert’s most dynamic creative hubs. Co-founded by lifelong musician and certified audio engineer Mark Gregg alongside Mandy Calvano and Misty Howell, the studio represents both a new chapter and a natural evolution of a decades-long career in music.
Gregg has been a guitarist and vocalist since boyhood, making his living as a professional musician by his early 20s. After moving to the desert in 1994 with his band Dude Jones, he spent more than 35 years performing locally and building a loyal following. Five years ago, he made a conscious decision to step back from full-time gigging and instead invest in something lasting: a state-of-the-art recording and production studio. It took nearly two years to build. Today, 3M Studios has been open for three years and is steadily growing toward profitability under a five-year business plan.
Originally envisioned as a rehearsal and music recording space, the studio quickly adapted to meet a different demand. “It became clear that the music scene here wasn’t developed enough to keep us as busy as we’re able to be,” Gregg explains. Instead, 3M Studios found its stride in video production, commercial work, and podcasting—services that are now booked nearly every day.
“It feels so important to be able to share someone’s message with the world through the technology we use in the studio. Technology is always changing and bringing a new perspective to stories we can tell,” shared 3M Studios engineer and videographer Dominick Calvano, who is also a musician and has worked with the local organization Shelter from the Storm on the song “Run Baby Run” for domestic violence awareness.
The studio works with local creators as well as national productions, including viral content creators The Old Gays, whose combined social media views and the Silver Linings podcast through Heart Radio reach into the billions. Through industry-standard platforms like Source-Connect and Riverside, 3M Studios seamlessly records with producers in Los Angeles, New York, and beyond, making geography far less limiting than it once was.
Gregg’s technical expertise plays a central role in that success. Trained through Berklee College of Music and certified in Logic Pro, he returned to formal study to ensure he could collaborate at a professional level with engineers across the country. The studio continues to embrace emerging tools, including artificial intelligence for editing and content creation. Gregg views AI as a transformative force in audio and video production, one that can streamline workflows, reduce costs, and empower musicians and content creators to maintain a consistent, professional presence online.
Beyond its technical capabilities, 3M Studios is intentionally designed as a welcoming, creative environment. Gregg and his partners, entrepreneurs who also operate a successful healthcare business, share a commitment to professionalism and community engagement, including educational programs for local youth.
“From the minute I stepped foot here, the people embraced what I did,” Gregg says. With 3M Studios Palm Desert, he’s returning that support—offering a space where local talent and global production meet, and where desert creativity finds a worldwide audience.
