New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
A ‘Jaigantic’ undertaking
City working on deals to bring production studio development to former River Street industrial center
NEW HAVEN — For New Haven it could be “gigantic.” In fact, it is part of the name. The city is working on a memorandum of understanding and a land disposition agreement to bring Michael Jai White’s plans for Jaigantic Studios to River Street, according to officials.
They have been talking to White, a Black actor, director and writer, for more than a year about locating this project on almost 4 acres of land in the heart of the city’s former industrial center.
White hopes to begin construction
this summer of the 14 sound stages that would be at
the heart of the development, but it still has to go through the approval processes here, ultimately culminating in a vote by the Board of Alders.
The development also would feature production offices, post-production and support facilities and motion capture stages, which will feature 360degree virtual production volumes.
“I’m very excited about the employment opportunities that bringing the industry to New
Haven will mean. New Haven is so beautiful, so cinematic and there is so much talent in the area. It needs to get a shot,” White said in a phone interview.
In the meantime, as the New Haven development advances, White said they are opening a facility in Shelton for pre-production of some projects starting next week. He didn’t name the site as more paperwork is set to be signed shortly.
A native of Bridgeport and a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, White said he is talking to his alma mater, as well as Sacred Heart University, where he was the keynote speaker at its graduation, and the Yale School of Drama about internships.
“We have tentacles into several of these institutions,” White said. He had high praise for the program at Sacred Heart. “It is state of the art.”
As far as the drama school is concerned, White said he is putting his head together with actor John Malkovich about a stage component at Jaigantic Studios.
“John Malkovich has given me some amazing ideas that I want to implement and he is willing to help out when needed.” White said.
He said it was so important to reach back and help others, nurturing young artists. White said he didn’t have that opportunity himself, but wants to offer it to others.
He said as a child he started making Super 8 films and has had a successful career in the industry. “Luckily I found what was in my heart,” White said.
For the past two decades the city has been cleaning up the River Street area for development, which slowly has brought interested parties.
The address of Jaigantic Studios would be on a River Street site formerly owned by Dupont, and another on River Street, the last occupant of which was Beacham Transportation. The parcel across the street at on Chapel Street is planned for parking.
Mayor Justin Elicker is excited about the proposed development.
“The River Street corridor has incredible potential because of its access to the water and access to a diverse and vibrant neighborhood. In our thinking, along the lines of development, we want to make absolutely sure that the neighborhood benefits from any development that occurs there,” Elicker said.
Jackie Buster, a longtime New Haven resident and chief impact officer for Jaigantic, reiterated what White said about setting up an industry in New Haven that would work with the unions to establish apprenticeships.
The outreach would not only be to college students, but some programs for younger residents.
“Virtual reality is where everybody is going now and we want to train lots of kids, who are heavily involved
in video games. A lot of what we are doing is based on the technology of video games. We know they are out there. We will take you as a little person. Come on in,” Buster said.
She said they hope eventually to have 700 to 900 jobs at the 14 sound stages of various sizes at the site as it rebuilds Fair Haven and makes it the center for media production, where it was once the center of manufacturing with companies such as Bigelow, where industrial boilers were made.
Buster said they will also have multipurpose areas that the public can access.
“We are really big on the community. We want to be able to hire from within the
community for whatever positions people are capable of. Whatever they are not, we want to be able to get them into training for,” she said.
Buster said the larger dream, with the addition of other parcels at the site, is to make it an entertainment center that would draw people to shops and restaurants and a hotel, but that would be separate.
Buster compared it to Armatage Works in Tampa, a former trolley yard, that transformed an area of dilapidated buildings to a tourist attraction that now brings 1 million visitors a year, for shopping and entertainment.
She spoke about building a walkway — long in the
planning locally — along the Quinnipiac River.
New Haven Economic Development Officer Helen Rosenberg, who has overseen the cleanup and development of River Street for years, said the parcels for Jaigantic have been remediated and raised above the flood zone with a large amount of fill that has compacted over the last decade.
Stabilizing the area has been important to marketing the area, which abuts the Quinnipiac River.
Rosenberg and others from the city attended the viewing of the rough cut of White’s latest movie, “Outlaw Johnny Black,” that recently was shown in Bridgeport and is expected to be in theaters in November.
It would be the first production completed under Jaigantic Studios, according to the company.
“I enjoyed it. It was fun,” Rosenberg said, and compared it to Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles.”
White said that was
“high praise.”
The company said it hopes to build New Haven into a major entertainment market by taking advantage of Connecticut’s film and TV tax incentives and the talent pool and technology available in the tri-state area.
White’s primary focus will be to produce original projects including the action drama “Crossroads Cafe” and the sequel to 2009’s action comedy
“Black Dynamite,” which he co-wrote and starred in. Written and directed by White, both are slated for production this year, the company said in a statement.
White’s previous works include “Arrow,” “The Dark Knight,” “Spawn” and “Mortal Kombat: Legacy.”
George Norfleet, executive director of the Office of Film, Television and Digital Media, previously said The state has been working quietly for months to make the new studio aware of available financial incentives.
White has worked in over 100 films and television series. His most prominent roles include the 1997 film “Spawn,” in which he portrayed a comic book superhero, “Mortal Kombat: Legacy,” and the HBO movie “Tyson,” in which White played the title role.