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PARK CITY — Hollywood is coming to Utah. On a more permanent basis. Sundance brings the stars to Park City every year. Now the city could become a premier film destination too. Summit County has reached an at-times contentious deal to bring a major motion picture studio to Park City.
By this time next year, a now-empty lot will be a Hollywood hot spot. A lot of movies are filmed in this state, but this project would bring something that we don't have — a soundstage.
"There's a big push here to see the film industry grow and we want to be a part of that," Michael Newport with [Raleigh Studios](<http://www.raleighstudios.com >).
Summit County and Park City officials have reached an agreement that would bring Raleigh Studios to Quinn's Junction. The deal, which has been five years in the making, also includes a hotel and entertainment center.
"The State of Utah has a goal to bring production facilities to Utah and we want to help them with that goal," Tom Bakaly, the City Manager of Park City.
There's a big push here to see the film industry grow and we want to be a part of that.
–Michael Newport, Raleigh Studios.
Raleigh Studios is the largest independent motion picture operator in the country. It produces popular TV shows like CSI:Miami and films like Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. The project, and the included soundstages, would allow Utah to compete with neighboring states for production. Joe Bessacini with Film & TV Production Incentives said that "It doesn't hold up production, you can schedule production regularly and it's a cost-saving benefit for the productions."
Utah's movie industry would grow and bring more jobs with it.
There is one more step in the process, though. As part of the agreement to bring Raleigh Studios here, Park City would have to annex the land. The City Council will consider that during its meeting on Thursday. Once approved, the development could break ground this summer.
