SUN CENTER BREAKS GROUND ON $85M PA FACILITY
The initiative was made possible thanks to state, county and local officials, as well as the Pennsylvania Film Tax Credit Program, which provides tax incentives to production companies that operate in Pennsylvania.
“The film tax credit in Pennsylvania helps us compete against other cities and states that offer similar incentives to the film industry,” notes J. Mickey Rowley, Deputy Secretary for Tourism, Film and Marketing for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
Sun Center is expected to be completed by December 2010. It will generate 927 construction jobs, including 478 indirect jobs in the five-county region. Once operational, the studios expect to employ 286 permanent jobs in its first year, growing to 390 permanent jobs by the third year of operations.
The plan includes a 60,000-square-foot building that will house a 30,000 square foot soundstage and a 30,000-square-foot mill building, where sets will be constructed and lighting and equipment used in film productions will be warehoused. The project also provides two 20,000-square-foot purpose-built sound stages, and 30,000 square feet of contiguous office space. The site has the capacity for four additional 20,000-square-foot soundstages and 60,000 square feet of contiguous offices.
While the core business of Sun Center will be film and television production, another major component of the project will be the creation of a companion tourist facility. The family friendly tourist facility will be adjacent to the operating studio and will include two theaters and two fully-enclosed back-lot streets that visitors will be able to experience.