Innovation & Job News

New film studio to create 3,600 jobs in Pontiac

Thursday, February 05, 2009

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Film / Video, Investment, Oakland County

Pontiac

Hollywood is coming to Pontiac in a big way now that Motown Motion Pictures announced its going to invest $70 million to build a film studio in an old GM plant.

The deal is expected to create nearly 3,600 jobs directly and another 1,539 spin-off jobs. All of them will be based in Metro Detroit.

"What's really significant is that here, in the State of Michigan, we're building a state of the art movie facility," says Steven J. Lemberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Motown Motion Pictures.

The 600,000-square-foot development will have nine sound stages. The smallest sound stage will measure 12,000 square feet. The biggest will clock in at 30,000 square feet. The GM facility is already 400,000 square feet, so Motown Motion Pictures will have to build another 200,000 square feet to reach its goal.

The firm is partnering with Raleigh Studios and Hollywood Rentals, a production company that rents equipment. Raleigh Studios is the largest independent studio in the country. It will provide employees and production assistance.

"We're saying we have the employees, we have the studio equipment, you can just come here and get to work," says Steven J. Lemberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Motown Motion Pictures.

Motown Motion Pictures plans to have the first phase up and running by this summer. The rest will be built over the next five years.

The Michigan Economic Growth Authority gave Motown Motion Pictures $101 state tax credit over 12 years to help bring the project to Michigan. Another $12.9 million in Infrastructure Development Film and Digital Media were also given.

Source: Steven J. Lemberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Motown Motion Pictures
Writer: Jon Zemke