Written by Kianna Best on Jul 26, 2022. Posted in Production News

Two new Arizona studio projects announced

On Monday 25 July 2022, Acacia Filmed Entertainment announced the opening of two new studio projects. Construction is expected to start in 2023 spanning over the Scottsdale area and the southwest of the valley. This development follows the USD12 million state approved stimulus for film and television production.

“We basically helped craft this law so we could help protect the ability to fund the studio,” said Matthew George, president of Acacia Filmed Entertainment. “It’s a little different than other discounts. It’s about being able to build those studios.”

Image courtesy of AJC Architects

14 audio theatres including an impressive 60,000 sq ft stage and 624,000 sq ft support offices, will be constructed on a 70-acre site in the Scottsdale area. Following this will be the the Desert Studios Complex, which is slated to be built in Buckeye, in the southwest of the valley. Both projects are stated to have contributed to the lobbying for new state credit which will lead to the construction of new sound facilities. For ease of commute, the initial facility will be just over an hour’s flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles, targeting Hollywood involvement for the growing Arizona industry.

Encouraging the construction of new facilities and increased production activity in the state, the new credit, which is to be available from 2023, will offer a maximum of USD75 million, and an increase of up to USD125 million in 2025. To qualify, a production must either film on a sound stage of at least 10,000 square feet or complete all post-production at an in-state qualified production facility.

Image courtesy of Ganapathy Kumar

Acacia plans to start work next year, with construction expected to take approximately 18 months. The first phase will include the seven sound platforms and will be followed by the second studio project. A later stage will add more soundstages, as well as post-production facilities. The total project cost is estimated to come at a minimum of USD200 million, developed in partnership Tunica-Biloxi tribe of Louisiana.