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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2010
CONTACT:
Alex Greene, (586) 709-5754
Macomb County Studio Announces Major Build Project
Innovative studio design to “keep Michigan on the global film industry map,” say studio execs
Clinton Township, MI – Executives with the Macomb County based Vanir Entertainment announced plans today for a $20 million film studio build project certain to draw attention from film production companies across the globe, say its execs.“This is unique. We're unaware of any studio design like this in the country or the world. From the interest we've received from production companies, we see it as a major step to keep Michigan on the global film industry map,” said Alex Greene, Vanir's executive producer.Greene said the studio could not have come to fruition without the contributions of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Macomb County Film Office and officials from Clinton Township and Baker College.Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon plans to announce the studio build at his annual State of the Township address, to take place Friday, January 29, 7:30 a.m. at the Clinton Macomb Public Library, 40900 Romeo Plank Road in Clinton Township.“Clinton Township is pleased to host this new industry and Vanir Entertainment,” said Robert Cannon, Supervisor of Clinton Township. “They will provide new and exciting jobs, and bring students from throughout Michigan to learn about the film industry thanks to Baker College.” Groundbreaking for the studio, to be built on 26 acres in northern ClintonTownship, will take place late spring, 2010. The project‟s architect is Abraham Kadushin of Kadushin Associates Architects Planners, Ann Arbor.To be built in stages, the complex will eventually feature several buildings, including docking stations for mobile production units, overnight housing for visiting
professionals, office and classroom space for degreed programs through Baker College,and three production studios, the hallmark of which will be the Vanir Dome, a 20,000square-foot domed green screen.Green screens are used to create special effects in films. Current green screens have limitations according to height and width; that is, directors can only film as tall or as wide as the green screen itself. The Vanir Dome changes all that. Its dome shapeallows directors to film 180 degrees on the vertical and 360 degrees on the horizontal.Once built, Lew Smith, Vanir's Chief Operating Officer, said Vanir will lease the studio to visiting production companies who want to take advantage of the studio's design and the Michigan film tax incentives. “Our business model calls for four revenue streams – studio lease, production, film distribution and, with Baker College, educating the next generation of film production professional."Baker's role is critical. Michigan's biggest challenge right now is strengthening the community of professionals working in film," said Greene, "and the only way to do that is through education and training."“We are thrilled to partner with Vanir Entertainment to help develop Michigan‟s burgeoning film industry,” said Donald R. Torline, Baker College of Clinton Township president. “Serving more than 43,000 students through an international online program and at 14 locations throughout Michigan, Baker continually strives to offer the quality education and training necessary for our students to succeed in today‟s global economy. We define ourselves as a career college – targeting the most promising fields and providing the precise skills that employers want. We view the development of film and production programs as a natural progression of our mission, and stand ready to do our part to meet the growing demand for quality trained film and television production professionals in Michigan.”Smith distinguished the Vanir studio from other studios going up in Michigan. "With our lower overhead and full production capabilities, we'll target both major studios and independent film-makers, who are the growth segment of the industry. From day one, we knew it was important to serve the indies, and that's what we'll do."Greene said another unique feature of the complex is the use of mobile production studios. An area of the complex will feature docking stations for tractor
trailers, RVs and buses that have been converted into rolling production studios.Docking stations allow trailers and buses to travel from film locations to the Vanir complex for post-production work. “We‟ve only allowed for the latest technology in this complex, which is exactly what the major studios we‟ve spoken to – and investors –want,” said Greene. Vanir execs believe the studio‟s design and features, like the green screen dome and docking stations, reflect the innovation that will cement Michigan‟s contributions to the production of films globally.“None of this could be possible without the help of the MEDC and officials from Macomb County and Clinton Township. They have introduced us to funding sources,including investors, and their support has been phenomenal,” said Smith. He said a private equity fund for investors has been established for the studio build and to finance other Vanir projects, including film, television and audio production and film distribution.Vanir's current projects include production of two syndicated television programs,"Social Graces" and "Misery Luvs Company" "Social Graces" features reality-show style instruction on everything from dating to dress to home design from a veteran teacher of etiquette. "Misery Luvs Company" follows the exploits of a young rock and roller and his band on their climb to the top.Greene said another feature of the complex is the attention paid to renewable energy sources. The complex will be built on a geothermal energy grid to both lessen the carbon footprint and lower studio energy costs. Selling excess energy on the state‟s energy grid will be a fifth although lesser revenue stream for the studio complex, said Greene.Vanir Entertainment formed in 2008 as a partnership, the members of which have won multiple Emmy and Telly awards. The partnership already operates one of the largest green screens in metro-Detroit, a 65x20-foot screen at its current studio in Clinton Township. Vanir also hosted the first-of-its-kind film networking event last April in Pontiac. The Michigan Movie Networking Event, as it was called, was the largest gathering of film professionals in Michigan‟s history at the time, bringing together upwards of 1,100 professionals from several states and Canada.
For information on Vanir Entertainment, the studio complex and the Vanir Dome, reach Alex Greene at (586) 709-5754 or Lew Smith at (586) 615-3504.
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--NOTE TO MEDIA: Vanir Entertainment‟s partners Alex Greene, Lew Smith and Brent Chartier will be on hand for interviews immediately following Clinton Township Supervisor‟s Robert Cannon‟s annual State of the Township Address, to take place Friday, January 29, beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Clinton Macomb Public Library, 40900 Romeo Plank Road in Clinton Township. The library is located nearest the intersection of Romeo Plank and Canal Roads.
CONTACTS: Vanir Entertainment Studio Complex Build Announcement To speak with sources cited in this story:
For Vanir Entertainment:
- Alex Greene, Executive Producer, Vanir Entertainment, (586) 709-5764
- Lew Smith, Chief Operations Officer, Vanir Entertainment, (586) 615-3504
For Clinton Township:
- Robert J. Cannon, Clinton Township Supervisor, (586) 723- 8093
- Carlo Santia, Clinton Township Planning and Community DevelopmentDirector, (586) 723-8083
- Joseph Peruzzi, Clinton Township Communications Deputy, (586) 723-8045
For Baker College of Clinton Township:
- Don Torline, President, Baker College of Clinton Township, (586) 790-2810
BACKGROUNDER:
Vanir Entertainment
January 28, 2010
CONTACT: Alex Greene, (586) 709-5754
Macomb County Studio Has Its Eyes on the Big Screen
Young Vanir Entertainment has Already Made its Mark on the Michigan Movie Industry
Clinton Township, MI – With just a year under its belt, Macomb County-based Vanir Entertainment has already made its mark on Michigan‟s growing film industry (see sidebar). According to its partners, there's more on the table for Vanir‟s future, including construction of a studio complex in Clinton Township, and Macomb County will play a big role [Editor’s Note: Refer to preceding press release].“I‟ve been in the film and music industry for the past 25 years, and I‟ve never worked with a more talented team than what we‟ve assembled for Vanir,” said Vanir Entertainment partner and executive producer Alex Greene. Greene isn't new to the executive producer role. In 2001, he had an idea for a children‟s television show. With no experience in television programming or production, he took a course in community access programming through a local cable company and started a production company of his own.“At the time, all I had was an idea and what I learned about working a camera,” said Greene. He approached investors, raised money, hired staff and began filming “MyBedbugs” in a studio in Clinton Township. “My Bedbugs” eventually aired in 110 million homes through the US and Canada and earned Greene‟s production company 13 Emmy awards and 12 Tellys for its quality and originality. Last year, Greene sold the rights to the program to producers. A motion picture is in the works. Coupled with the Michigan tax credits, Greene said the sky‟s the limit for smaller studios with ideas and talent. “With the Michigan tax incentives in place, right now in Michigan, partnerships and alliances are being established with studios in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver and Toronto. They‟re just beginning to form.”
Arranging those alliances was part of a Vanir event staged in April.“There are so many people in Michigan, looking for opportunities in film, we decided to host an event to bring everyone together at one time in one place to meet and talk,” said Vanir partner and chief operations officer Lew Smith.“The Michigan Movie Networking Event,” as it came to be called, was held April 4th in Pontiac. “When we set the date and made the arrangements, we had no idea it was going to be the NCAA basketball Final Four weekend and that Michigan State would be playing. We thought we could maybe – maybe – bring 300 or 400 people together.“As it turned out, 1,100 people showed, making it the largest gathering of Michigan-based movie professionals at the time,” said Smith. “Every type of professional associated with films was in attendance, from pre-production and production talent to distributors to investors. And Vanir Entertainment was the brains behind it.”Smith said movie professionals from Ontario, Ohio and Indiana were inattendance at the first “Michigan Movie Networking Event.” As evidence the Networking Event reached its desired result, Smith said one deal he‟s aware of involved $3 million to bring a Michigan-based, animated children‟s program to networks in China. Smith said a second Networking Event is scheduled for later in 2010. “We‟re negotiating with a number of sponsors now to keep ticket prices low. We‟re arranging for a larger vendor area with rooms set aside for workshops and breakout sessions,” said Smith.Greene said Vanir is also seeking investors for its own movies. One of those movies, “The Gifting,” was written by a third Vanir partner, Brent Chartier. “I‟ve had the idea for „The Gifting‟ for about three years, but began writing the script just last year. The first person I ever shared the story with burst into tears and said, "You have got to make that movie.‟ That was inspiration enough to get started,” said Chartier. He said he wrote the book before he wrote the screenplay.“The Gifting‟ is entirely set in Macomb County. It‟s a family-oriented story about a girl who finds flowers that have the power to heal. You‟d think a find like that would be a good thing but, well, you‟ll have to see the movie to learn what happens,” said Chartier.
“The Gifting‟ is just one of the movies we‟d like to do,” said Greene. “We‟ve already arranged a distribution network, which anyone in film knows is as hard to do as finding investors.“I have every reason to believe that sometime soon, everyone will see the name "Vanir Entertainment‟ on the big screen. I've done it before, I‟ll do it again,” said Greene.
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SIDEBAR
Vanir Entertainment’s Accomplishments
Clinton Township, MI – Formed in December, 2008, Macomb County‟s VanirEntertainment can count among its accomplishments:
-The “Michigan Movie Networking Event.” In early April, 2009, Vanir Entertainment staged a networking event that drew 1,100 professionals interested in working in Michigan‟s burgeoning film industry. Vanir's second Networking Event will take place later in 2010. Vanir plans to hold the cost of ticket prices down while improving the educational value to attendees.
- Built the largest green screen in Macomb County. Green screens allow filmmakers to film scenes requiring special effects. The 65-foot by 18-foot wall is being marketed by Vanir Entertainment to filmmakers and production companies.
- Plan construction on a 26-acre studio complex. Vanir plans to break ground this spring on a studio complex on 26 acres in Clinton Township. The complex will feature a one-of-a-kind, 20,000 foot green screen dome, separate video and production studios, on-site housing for visiting professionals and classroom space to teach the next generation of film professionals in cooperation with Baker College.
- Began production of two syndicated television programs, "Social Graces"and "Misery Luvs Company." "Social Graces" features reality-show style instruction on everything from dating to dress to home design from Iesha Morgan, a veteran teacher of etiquette. "Misery Luvs Company" follows the exploits of a young rock and roller and his band on their climb to the top.
- Secured production rights to three motion pictures. With funding in place, Vanir Entertainment intends to produce or co-produce any of three screenplays written by partner, Brent Chartier.
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