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PARK CITY — A major movie studio that broke ground earlier this month already has filmmakers lining up to use the future Park City facilities.
The Quinn’s Junction site for Raleigh Studios has caught the attention of several producers, including one for a major motion picture, two network television shows, a full-length animated film and several commercials. The studio has received a letter of intent from the producer of the full-length film, which has been approved and funded, studio chairman Greg Ericksen said.
“It’s quite unusual to have that kind of a line for a studio that is starting to go up and not completed. We’re very pleased with the reaction,” he said.
The $125 million, 30-acre studio is expected to be completed in 2014, according to Ericksen. It will have sound stages, a production office, post-production recording studios, lodging services, performance venues and a retail component.
“We believe this is a game changer for the industry and will make Utah a hub for the world as far as the combination of the technology and motion pictures,” Ericksen said.
The site was designed to support all stages of moviemaking. Currently, filmmakers film on location in Utah only to leave to complete studio and post-production work.
“It was more a tourist kind of model, but now it will be an industry model, which is really what we needed,” Ericksen said. “Everyone knows that Utah has some of the greatest scenery and diverse scenery in the country.”
Ericksen expects the studio to help the local economy in a big way.
“For ages now, Utah has not had that capability or capacity but now it will. It will bring a lot more industry and dollars to the state in terms of jobs and economics,” he said.
Contributing: Andy Farnsworth and Randall Jeppesen
