Several movie studios are being developed in Michigan, including Unity Studios in Allen Park, a suburb of Detroit.
Type:
Unity Studios will provide pre- and post-production facilities for film and television projects. In addition to equipment, technology and a construction mill, the studio will also have indoor and outdoor sets.
Location:
The studio will be built on 40 acres off of Southfield Road. A tourist village makes up the second phase of the project and will cover 65 acre. The project is being developed by a group of investors from both Los Angeles and Michigan. The ring leader is Jimmy Lifton of California, a man with 30 years experience in the business and co-owner of Oracle Post, a post-production company with locations in Santa Monica and Burbank.
Cost:
The studio project will cost $146 million, $40 million of which will be provided by the City of Allen Park in exchange for 15% ownership. The city’s $40 million will be used for the purchase and redevelopment of real estate for the project.
Jobs Created:
83 initially
Size:
750,000 square feet
Michigan's Contribution:
Michigan’s Film Incentives package provided the main draw for the developers, but the state is also making a contribution to the project via MEGA and Film-Infrastructure credits. Wayne County is expected to approve the Allen Park property as a “renaissance zone,” which will free the studio project from most state and local taxes.
Expected Completion:
October, 2009. The project already has commitments for film and television projects.
Special:
Part of the project includes the creation of The Lifton Institute for Media Skills, a program created to retrain over 1,000 people a year from Michigan’s manufacturing sector.
