Innovation & Tech Today - CA (2020-10)

64 INNOVATION & TECH TODAY | 2020 YEAR-END ISSUE

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Hollywood North

Santa Clarita is Making Movies

By Joe Toppe

Less than 25 miles north of Hollywood, the

City of Santa Clarita is quickly becoming a

valued extension of the movie-making business.

Recently, LA North Studios announced plans to

convert 113,640 square feet of space at The

Center at Needham Ranch into a functioning

satellite soundstage by early 2021.

Prior to the expansion of LA North Studios,

“our estimated economic impact from filming

has been over $30 million dollars for each of the

last six years,” Evan Thomason said, Economic

Development Associate for the City of Santa

Clarita.

LA North’s commitment and investment will

be a significant contributor to the local economy,

he said. “The additional capacity for production

will mean more jobs and millions more spent

locally.”

Currently, the city offers a local Film Incentive

Program, smooth permit process, and does not

require a municipal business license tax.

John Prabhu, Partner at LA North Studios, said

“our soundstages employ several hundred on a

daily basis and on certain days, reach close to

500.”

The decision was made because of the studio’s

intimate knowledge with the process, timing,

business, and film-friendly environment with the

City of Santa Clarita, he said. The area has

quietly become a go-to destination for television

and feature film productions.

Right now, there are four studios in Santa

Clarita including LA North, Santa Clarita

Studios, Blackhall Studios, and Valencia Studios.

Ranches in Santa Clarita feature a “who’s who” of

filming history ranging from Old Yeller and The

Parent Trap, to Wyatt Earp and the Pirates of the

Caribbean II and III. Ranches include Golden

Oak Ranch, Blue Cloud Ranch, Melody Ranch

Studio, Rancho Deluxe, and the Rancho Maria &

Sable Ranch.

“The Santa Clarita Valley has a long history of

filming, with Hollywood using it as a film

location for Westerns as early as 1903,” Holly

Schroeder said, President & CEO of the Santa

Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp.

“The demand for content has never been

greater, and with that comes the demand for

sound stages,” she said. “The Santa Clarita Valley

has been rapidly adding more certified sound

stage space over the last couple of years, and this

new expansion from LA North will bring our

total to over 40.”

Despite the COVID-19 shutdowns impacting

the film industry, there were strong final

numbers in the 2019-2020 fiscal year in the Santa

Clarita Valley with 468 permits issued, adding up

to 1,249 film days and generating over $30

million in economic impact to the region. In the

prior fiscal year, 526 film permits were issued

representing 1,380 film days and generating an

estimated $33.4 million in economic impact to

the local community. Q