BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A new slice of Hollywood is ready to go on Buffalo's west side.
Great Point Studios Buffalo will cut the ribbon on its new state-of-the-art facility on Niagara Street later this month. 7 News Anchor Jeff Russo was invited to tour the $50 million complex before the opening.
Larry Quinn, the project developer for Great Point Studios Buffalo, spoke with 7 News about what the new facility will bring to the local film industry.
"It's a full production studio," said Quinn, "we can do post-production, we can do production of film, we have our own carpentry shop, we have probably some of the best green rooms in the industry."
Great Point Studios is an international entertainment and media company with over 150 years of experience with studios in Yonkers, Atlanta, and the UK.
The Buffalo facility, located at 1155 Niagara Street, has everything filmmakers and creatives need to create high-quality productions starting with 30,000 square feet of space spread across three stages.
"Having three stages allows tremendous flexibility," said Quinn, "They are all forty feet (high), they are fully air-conditioned, they are full-powered, they all have tremendous internet capacity, everything you want,"
The new Great Point Studios comes online as Buffalo continues to evolve into a go-to place for filmmakers, with Western New York serving as the backdrop for several recent movies including Nightmare Alley and A Quiet Place Two.
The hope is that the new facility provides yet another boost to Buffalo's growing film industry.
"This hopefully gives Buffalo full-time, full-year employment in a brand new industry," said Quinn, "When they make films and TV it's all new net dollars to the community. They are not being financed in Buffalo. They are being financed all over the world."
Quinn says he's already shown the new Great Point Studios to several current film producers, and while he couldn't share exact details of what may be on the horizon, he's certain the new facility has caught the attention of the film industry.
Quinn says the Starz TV Show "Raising Kanan" is currently being filmed by Lionsgate Studios in the Great Point Studios location in Yonkers.
"I think in the short run we'd like to get some film production in here to start off the studio and break it in," said Quinn, "I think our holy grail would be to get a television series here, or a film or television studio to sub-lease it, as they do in Yonkers."
Great Point Studios Buffalo will host an invite-only ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 16th.
