On Friday we spoke with Janis Burklund, head of the Dallas Film Commission, about why the city council will on Wednesday more than likely approve a $235,000 economic development grant for a film and television production studio in a S. Lamar warehouse owned by Jack Matthews. Long story short: Burklund said TNT and Warner Horizon, makers of the next-gen Dallas reboot, need a facility bigger than what The Studios at Las Colinas can provide, and if the city doesn't step up the network and producers will more than likely go out of state if and when the series is picked up.
To which The Studios at Las Colinas's higher-ups respond: Say what now? Jennifer Loeb King, vice president and chief business officer of Muller Entertainment, the management company for the Irving-based facility, shot us a lengthy response to Friday's item, which follows in full. Says King, they didn't even know the city wanted its own facility. But now that they do, they aren't pleased.
From Jennifer Loeb King:
It was extremely informative to know about these efforts as we were not aware of this. The references to The Studios at Las Colinas were also interesting. It was with particular notice to read that we are a nice place. As a matter of fact, we have been a "nice" place for 30 years now -- nice enough for Lone Star, The Deep End, Prison Break as well as a long list of credits that include being "nice" enough for JFK, Talk Radio, Silkwood, RoboCop and The Trip to Bountiful.
The Studios at Las Colinas is an air-conditioned sound stage building with three sound stages. We also have nearby warehouses and offices that could potentially make us "big" enough for any size production. The developers and owners, past and present, have poured millions of dollars into the Studios to keep it open as a commitment to the people and infrastructure our industry community has had for decades.
The truth is that no one other than our management knows what deals we have cut and the losses the Studios has sustained year after year to attract high profile projects. So, it really is unfair for anyone working in the film and TV business in North Texas to comment or dismiss the Studios as "this or that."
How unfortunate that some of the elected Dallas public officials would imply that they needed to keep Hollywood from going to the Studios. The Studios at Las Colinas remains dedicated to having film, television, commercial and corporate productions stay in North Texas, just as we have for over 30 years.
