It may be premature to dub it Rustbelt Hollywood, but Pittsburgh’s largest film production studio is now underway.
Actor and
Mogul Mind founder John Yost is spearheading the 330,000-square-foot project, which encompasses a 10-acre parcel and four properties located between 31st and 32d Sts. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
The $30 million project, called Mogul Mind Studios, will feature 10 sound stages, offices, screening rooms, and rental, manufacturing and post-production facilities. Calling the complex a “one-stop shop equipped to handle student films all the way up to
King Kong,” Yost says the site will also house a bar/lounge and full craft services.
Yost expects the first phase to be ready by spring 2009 and aims to
have up to 500 people working seven days per week at the facility. “We’ve identified forty-six different revenue streams,” adds Yost, who met with execs from Miramax and Lionsgate for input. “Films have been coming here since the 1940s. I saw an opportunity that no one was addressing.”
A Penn Hills native, Yost says the site’s post-production facilities will increase revenue from films shot on location here. The site will also house Mogul Mind’s offices and offer university outreach programs. “We want to teach students the business of show business and give them a landing place here,” adds Yost, who hopes to tap into the robust community of Pittsburgh natives working in the film industry in L.A. and NYC.
Dawn Keezer with the
Pittsburgh Film Office says the industry generated $150 million for the region last year. “John’s project is desperately needed for long-term sustainability,” adds Keezer. “With one of the best tax credit programs in the country, we’re a force to be reckoned with—Pittsburgh’s really on the map.”
Writer:
Jennifer Baron
Sources: John Yost, Mogul Mind, LLC; Dawn Keezer, Pittsburgh Film Office
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen