East End Studios has broken ground on its downtown Los Angeles Arts District facility, East End Studios Mission Campus.
Demolition and excavation are currently underway with the vertical phase of construction set to begin this summer. The project, with a total cost of approximately $230 million, is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
Notably, East End Studios Mission Campus will be a 245,000-square-foot Class-A facility featuring five stages ranging in size from 14,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet. The campus is expected to create 1500 construction jobs in the city of Los Angeles and upon completion, will create 750 permanent jobs.
East End Studios Mission Campus Rendering
(Provided by East End Studios)
“With its abundant cultural richness and distinctive charm, the area is an exceptionally fitting location for a best-in-class, fully integrated film & television studio campus.” noted Shep Wainwright, Managing Partner at East End Studios, in his opening remarks.
He then introduced LA Mayor, Karen Bass, who described how desperately, “our legacy industry needs support” and going on to say how “this campus is the type of initiative that will help save jobs. From the hundreds and hundreds of jobs created at the campus to the many writers, set and costume designers, electricians, florists and so many surrounding local businesses – we are creating jobs and energizing our signature economy.”
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation also supported the facility and other East End projects. “The creation of the new East End Studios Mission Campus promises to drive economic growth in the film and T.V. sector and alleviate the shortage of studio space, ultimately leading to the creation of hundreds of new, well- paying jobs for Los Angeles,” said, Stephen Cheung, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.
These sentiments was passionately echoed by Secretary Treasurer of SAG-AFTRA, Joely Fisher, who spoke as “a native Angeleno, born into a true Hollywood dynasty.” though she then jokingly added, “Well not Hollywood, but sexy, glamorous, downtown Burbank. Home to many, many studios.” She noted that the ground was being broken on the anniversary of the “once in a generation strike” and how the union made “great headway”, but there is work to be done.
“We need production to take place in Los Angeles. Greater Los Angeles. In Hollywood. Downtown and in Burbank. In the great state of California. We have seen a recent exodus as incentives – out of state and over seas – increase.” Fisher went on and gave a call to action, referencing Governor Gavin Newsom, “So let them, Gavin, hear the ground break all the way in Sacremento and let’s lead the pack. Let’s have a real ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’ again! Big tax incentives are crucial – as a state and in filling these beautiful soundstages.
Mayor Karen Bass & SAG-AFTRA Secretary Treasurer Joely Fisher at East End Studios Groundbreaking
We here at the Los Angeles Inquisitor couldn’t agree more! Listen to Fisher’s entire speech here:
