By JAMES MADDEN
Imagine walking the streets of Hopkinton and discussing Scientology with Tom Cruise. This scenario could become a reality in the next couple of years if a new movie studio is built in Hopkinton. In fact, the General Assembly may be reviewing such a proposal on Hopkinton’s economic future as early as this week.
“Wow, we never thought we’d hear major movie development in Hopkinton,” Hopkinton Town Council President Vincenzo Cordone said. “This is exactly the type of growth industry that we need to bring to Rhode Island.”
Last Thursday at the Rhode Island State House, assembly leaders announced that a California-based movie studio developer is planning to build a $100 million studio (including a hotel and possibly a restaurant) in Hopkinton — called Rhode Island Studios.
State Representative Brian Kennedy (District 16) said, “We’re talking some major jobs. We’re talking a major infusion to the tax base of the town of Hopkinton.” He explained the Hopkinton site was chosen due to its proximity to the airport, train station, and highway.
“I’m still in amazement,” Cordone said. “It’s gotta be done right. If it’s not done right, it won’t benefit anyone,” Cordonne said on Monday.
Hal Katersky, the owner of the Santa Monica-based Pacifica Ventures, which owns Albuquerque Studios in New Mexico, was on hand for the announcment. Pacifica Ventures also own studios in Hollywood and Kiev and there’s another studio slated for construction in Philadelphia within the next year.
Katersky said if his company built a studio in Hopkinton, it would be similar to the one in Albuquerque and bring in just as much money and jobs.
“They come, they spend, they leave,” Katersky said. “That’s why you don’t have to worry about infrastructure.”
“I think the only thing you have to do is look at Albuquerque. They said we were crazy for to build there… now it’s a success,” said Katersky – a native of Tiverton and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island (1964). “Studios are good business. They’re a clean business.”
Katersky and legislators said the deal is contingent on the Rhode Island General Assembly passing legislation that would give the developer a tax break equaling 20 percent of construction costs.
Cordone and Kennedy said state officials have been working with Pacifica Ventures for the past year to bring a studio to Rhode Island and the project would cost around $80 million to build, which Katersky said would come out of his own pocket. Cordone also said that Hopkinton abutters wouldn’t be adversely affected by the development.
House Speaker William J. Murphy and Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano both support the new legislation and said they hope it will generate money to help cut into the state’s deficit, which is in the hundreds of millions.
“It will create an entire new industry for the state of Rhode Island,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the proposal will be reviewed by the House and Senate finance committees and the House of Representatives is working on a bill that could soon be introduced to the General Assembly.
Murphy said this new legislation – if it passes – would be piggybacking on the state’s 2005 Motion Picture Production Tax Credit that provides the movie industry with a tax credit package.
Since 2005, some of the movie and TV productions that have been filmed in Rhode Island are the Showtime series “Brotherhood” and the movies “27 Dresses” and “Dan in Real Life.”
Steve Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office said, “Having this movie studio here is really going to solidify everything that we’ve worked on.”
Feinberg said the reason Hollywood is looking to Rhode Island to build a studio is because the traditional film industry locations such as Los Angeles and New York have become too expensive to work in. “It’s just too expensive to film in these places,” Feinberg said.
Although the tax credit package has attracted the movie industry to come to Rhode Island, Feinberg said some projects say “No” to coming to Rhode Island because there is no studio in the area where post-production could be done.
“We’ve not had a home in Rhode Island where we could accommodate a large feature film,” Feinberg said. He said that two full-length feature films that didn’t come to Rhode Island because of these issues were “The Pink Panther II,” and “Max Paine.” He also said there were others that he couldn’t mention.
Cordone said no plans have been filed with Hopkinton yet, but that he and other town officials are looking forward to looking over the proposal.
Kennedy shared in Cordone’s enthusiasm and pointed out that Hopkinton’s tax base would increase 10 percent, going from about $1 billion to $1.1 billion.
Kennedy said Pacifica Ventures acquired parcels of land in Hopkinton near Exit 2 – which can be seen from driving south on Interstate 95.
Hopkinton Town Manager Bill DiLibero said George Reynolds, who operates a dairy farm, and Roy Dubs, who founded Ocean State Job Lot, own the majority of land where the project is being proposed.
Katersky said that Pacifica Ventures would work with the West Warwick-based Halden Acquisition Group to develop the Hopkinton property.
Pacifica Ventures said the studio would include:
-Eight sound stages (up to 225,000 sq. ft.), office space (75,000 sq. ft.), executive offices (10,000 sq. ft.), welding facilities 75,000 sq. ft.), and a hotel with 100-plus rooms on 60 acres of land. 500 union jobs over a 2-year construction process earning an average salary of $50,000 annually.
Katersky said that Pacifica Ventures hasn’t yet contacted local unions about the proposal. “It’s too early,” Katersky said.
-$2.5 million in payroll taxes and approximately $5.2 million in sales taxes.
-2,200 production related jobs per year paying an average salary of $56,000, generating roughly $125 million in additions to Rhode Island payroll.
-90 full-time study facility jobs paying an average salary of $38,0000 generating $3.4 million to Rhode Island’s payroll.
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