New Studio in Jefferson Parish
From today's Times-Picayune:
Studio building to rise in Elmwood
Jeff teaming up with Korean firm on new complex
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
By Mark Waller
In a bid to grow its piece of Louisiana's film industry, the Jefferson Parish Council has approved an agreement with a South Korean company to build a new sound stage facility in Elmwood.
The complex will include two 55-foot high stages built on land the parish bought in Elmwood Industrial Park with the goal of spurring development of film production enterprises.
"Aaron is determined that we're going to be the epicenter of production in the state," said Cherreen Gegenheimer, executive assistant to Parish President Aaron Broussard. And she said demand is strong for more production infrastructure in Jefferson Parish.
"We are turning projects away because all of our facilities are in use," she said. "The good news is we're maxed out. The bad news is because we're maxed out, we're losing major productions."
Jefferson Parish has been working on the Elmwood plan for more than two years. It bought a 2.2-acre rectangle of land from Mac Papers Inc., located directly behind the production grounds of the Robert E. Nims Center for Entertainment Arts and Multi-Media Technology.
Earlier this month, the Parish Council approved an agreement with a multifaceted South Korean company, M.K. International Inc., to build and possibly operate the studios.
Each of the two sound stages will spread over 18,000 to 24,000 square feet, Gegenheimer said, and will be designed to join into a single vast space for towering movie sets.
Although design details are yet to be drawn, Gegenheimer said construction could begin in the spring, with the building ready to open in early 2009.
The parish will charge M.K. International a penny to rent the land the first year and gradually increase the rent to fair market value over several years, Gegenheimer said.
The parish will not spend any money on construction or receive any revenues from the facility after it begins operating, but it will benefit from the economic reverberations of the productions that take place there, she said.
The studio building will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, said Susan Krantz, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of New Orleans, which sends film students to the Nims Center for field experience.
The Nims Center is owned and operated by the UNO Foundation. One way onto the Jefferson Parish property is through the center's parking lot off Distributors Row.
"We see this as a great opportunity to help concentrate that neighborhood into even a more secure industry-builder for film," said Krantz, who noted that Elmwood Industrial Park includes other warehouses used for production and offices of film-related businesses.
Demand for the new studios also appears robust from a statewide perspective, said Chris Stelly, director of film and television in the Louisiana Office of Entertainment Industry Development.
"Any addition to our infrastructure is a good thing," Stelly said. "Our industry is growing."
He said more than 50 movie and television productions have operated in the state this year, double the count of previous years. And he is hopeful the ongoing Hollywood writers strike will not have a lasting impact on activity in Louisiana.
"Jefferson Parish has been a strong ally," in growing the business, Stelly said. "They see the return."
. . . . . . .
Mark Waller can be reached at mwaller@timespicayune.com or (504) 883-7056.
Studio building to rise in Elmwood
Jeff teaming up with Korean firm on new complex
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
By Mark Waller
In a bid to grow its piece of Louisiana's film industry, the Jefferson Parish Council has approved an agreement with a South Korean company to build a new sound stage facility in Elmwood.
The complex will include two 55-foot high stages built on land the parish bought in Elmwood Industrial Park with the goal of spurring development of film production enterprises.
"Aaron is determined that we're going to be the epicenter of production in the state," said Cherreen Gegenheimer, executive assistant to Parish President Aaron Broussard. And she said demand is strong for more production infrastructure in Jefferson Parish.
"We are turning projects away because all of our facilities are in use," she said. "The good news is we're maxed out. The bad news is because we're maxed out, we're losing major productions."
Jefferson Parish has been working on the Elmwood plan for more than two years. It bought a 2.2-acre rectangle of land from Mac Papers Inc., located directly behind the production grounds of the Robert E. Nims Center for Entertainment Arts and Multi-Media Technology.
Earlier this month, the Parish Council approved an agreement with a multifaceted South Korean company, M.K. International Inc., to build and possibly operate the studios.
Each of the two sound stages will spread over 18,000 to 24,000 square feet, Gegenheimer said, and will be designed to join into a single vast space for towering movie sets.
Although design details are yet to be drawn, Gegenheimer said construction could begin in the spring, with the building ready to open in early 2009.
The parish will charge M.K. International a penny to rent the land the first year and gradually increase the rent to fair market value over several years, Gegenheimer said.
The parish will not spend any money on construction or receive any revenues from the facility after it begins operating, but it will benefit from the economic reverberations of the productions that take place there, she said.
The studio building will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, said Susan Krantz, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of New Orleans, which sends film students to the Nims Center for field experience.
The Nims Center is owned and operated by the UNO Foundation. One way onto the Jefferson Parish property is through the center's parking lot off Distributors Row.
"We see this as a great opportunity to help concentrate that neighborhood into even a more secure industry-builder for film," said Krantz, who noted that Elmwood Industrial Park includes other warehouses used for production and offices of film-related businesses.
Demand for the new studios also appears robust from a statewide perspective, said Chris Stelly, director of film and television in the Louisiana Office of Entertainment Industry Development.
"Any addition to our infrastructure is a good thing," Stelly said. "Our industry is growing."
He said more than 50 movie and television productions have operated in the state this year, double the count of previous years. And he is hopeful the ongoing Hollywood writers strike will not have a lasting impact on activity in Louisiana.
"Jefferson Parish has been a strong ally," in growing the business, Stelly said. "They see the return."
. . . . . . .
Mark Waller can be reached at mwaller@timespicayune.com or (504) 883-7056.
Labels: Movies
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