Tony Armer, head of physical production for Talon Entertainment Finance, says the opening reception, which garnered over 2,800 RSVPs, might have been the largest industry event in decades for the Dallas film community.
Anyone in attendance Tuesday night would've been hard-pressed to argue with that, as a steady flow of visitors filled the facility’s hallways, green rooms and sound stages. They were networking and ruminating on the possibilities that the new and improved South Side Studios may bring to Dallas.
Talon’s CEO Steven Demmler was in attendance and said the community response has exceeded their wildest expectations.
“We aimed for 750 people on the RSVP list for tonight,” Demmler said. “And we got 3,000.”
Demmler said that, for him, this is confirmation that they had the right idea at the right time for the film industry in Dallas.
“I just think this speaks to a community who wants this and wants to shoot here, and … wants it to succeed," he said. "And everybody I’ve met has been so effusive and supportive. I feel lucky and relieved.”
Beyond an opportunity to network and tour South Side Studios, the reception had photo opportunities set up throughout the facility, bars stationed in the soundstage areas for visitors and food trucks lined up in the parking lot. Walter Johnson Jr. recorded his Southside 457 podcast on one of the soundstages. With so many people spread throughout the building, it felt more like a convention than a typical reception.
With the renovations, South Side Studios boasts three sound stages ranging in size from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet, as well as green rooms, a mill shop and a prop warehouse. A “state-of-the-art LED wall” is being manufactured overseas and will be a significant asset for local filmmakers.
Walter Johnson Jr. recorded his Southside 457 podcast at the South Side Studios reopening.
Austin Zook
Armer says that Talon plans to allow students to utilize the LED wall for educational purposes. He has spoken with with local colleges, including Dallas College, Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas Dallas about access.
“We want to work with all of them, be very community-focused, very community-oriented, and do whatever we can to really support and train people,” he said.
CEO Demmler echoes these sentiments. He said that operating South Side Studios is for him a way to support the local community.
“We’re doing a raffle for St. Philip’s [School and Community Center],” he said. “Just to make sure we’re helping get the next set of high school students the equipment they need to shoot [in Dallas].”
Demmler said he wants the studio to be a sort of community center that can also bring in industry leaders to produce high-level work.
Katie Schuck, Dallas’s new film commissioner, also took part in the festivities. A major part of Schuck’s role is pitching the various studio facilities in Dallas to attract productions. To that end, she sees a lot of potential with South Side Studios.
“Everybody knows that Dallas is a fantastic production hub,” Schuck said. “So having a completely renovated, turnkey facility for productions to use as a covered set is a wonderful asset for the area. I’m delighted to have this space added to all the other wonderful facilities that we can offer here in Dallas.”
While everything that has been done already is significant, it represents just the first phase of construction for Talon. Phase Two will involve updating the studio’s prop warehouse, adding office space and building a 30-seat theater for productions to screen their work. There are also plans to add production stages to the facility.
In the meantime, however, South Side Studios is open for business and is already booking productions for 2025. Demmler and Armer both say they are excited to be bringing in new opportunities for Dallas film professionals and doing their part to level up the city’s production capabilities.
“I’ve never had a baby,” said Armer. “I feel like this is like having a baby, right? We’ve been pregnant for 18 months, and now the baby’s been born, and we can get rolling.”
