In tough economic times with little money to spare what do most Americans do for entertainment? The answer: Go to the movies!
But Hollywood no longer stands alone in the production world as the ultimate place to film. Massachusetts has upped the ante offering lucrative tax credits to movie makers which have successfully lured in over $500 million in new film productions in just a little over a year. In fact, believe it or not, Massachusetts is ranked as number 2 in the country for film friendly states.
If developers in Plymouth are successful, Americas Hometown, Plymouth could soon be home to the worlds largest all green, smart wired studio, producing up to 500 television shows, commercials and full length motion pictures each year. Avid movie goers could possibly spot some local sites in their next trip to the big screen or just maybe bump into a big star right on Main St. in Plymouth.
Plymouth Rock Studios is one of the largest developments planned in the Bay State or perhaps even in New England. At this time when as we all know projects are struggling to get off the ground, Plymouth Rock, the town of Plymouth and the Commonwealth are working closely together to make this project come to fruition with creative permitting and infrastructure funding. When complete, the studio village will contain over 2 million s/f of buildings on approximately 245 acres of what was originally the Waverly Oaks Golf Club directly on the other side of Rte. 3 from the Pinehills development. The 14 sound stages will be the first in Massachusetts, bringing the much needed infrastructure here to grow our emerging film industry.
With major partners such as MIT, the New England Institute of Art, AT&T, C Change, and the producers Guild of America, Plymouth Rock Studios is poised to be a key driver in the Commonwealth's creative economy with over 2,000 workers on the campus at any given time during full production. The campus will include an education center, sound stages, office buildings, an amenity village with shops and restaurants, a hotel, a theatre and much more supporting entities. Without a shovel in the ground yet, Plymouth Rock has managed to secure lease commitments for over 200,000 s/f of space with leases paying up to $60 per s/f. "The demand for prime space on the lot is incredible", said Plymouth Rock Studios CEO, Earl Lestz. Lestz is a former Paramount Pictures Studio Group president who has been hands on with this project from day one. Sometimes called the "secret sauce" on this project, by David Kirkpatrick, president of Plymouth Rock Studios, Lestz has a vision to make this project a legacy for all his partners to be proud to be involved with.
As you can imagine the surrounding developments that supply housing in the immediate area are ecstatic. Housing requests to support film technicians, crew members and stars that may call Plymouth home certainly will boosts sales at the Pinehills, AD Makepeace's proposed River Run project of 1,100 new homes as well as a number of other developments in the town. But what about commercial you ask?
Commercial developments are eagerly awaiting the Plymouth Rock Studios project start as well. Ancillary business services that support the studio on a day to day basis will also grow or expand throughout the community looking for space as the need for those services grow within the next several years following the studio completion. Storage space for equipment and props, editing labs, catering facilities, etc., all add to the over 120 support groups needed to feed a mammoth project like Plymouth Rock Studios on a day to day basis and support special events. The good news for Plymouth is we have many sites ready to tackle that problem head on. The Pinehills alone can accommodate certain commercial needs up to a million s/f depending upon the use. In close proximity we have two commerce parks and various other locations that can capture excess commercial requirements.
The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Foundation have also played a key role in driving the studio project as well as targeting new film production and addressing workforce training with the local workforce board to meet the expected crew demands. A new effort called F.A.M.E., Film, Arts, Motion Pictures and Entertainment will establish a marketing effort to begin attracting on location shooting to the South Shore. F.A.M.E. is also highlighting industry related training programs with local universities and community colleges as well as establishing a preferred vendor pool for the film industry and streamlined local film permitting. For additional information visit www.fameplymouth.com
Plymouth is staking its claim with the trademarked Hollywood East brand and as the new film hub of the east coast. Certainly the biggest thing to happen in the Plymouth area since the Pilgrims landed in 1620.
Denis Hanks is the executive director of the Plymouth Regional Economic Development Foundation and also the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, Plymouth, Mass.