ALLEN PARK – State Representatives Bob Constan (D-Dearborn Heights) and Ed Clemente (D-Lincoln Park) today lauded Unity Studios' decision to make Allen Park the home of its new $146 million film studio and educational facility for media skills.
"I am very pleased that Unity Studios is going to set up shop here in our community," Constan said. "Bringing the film industry to Allen Park will create thousands of good-paying jobs for our residents and infuse millions of dollars into our economy. The creation of a media school also will help end the brain drain, and keep some of our most talented and creative young workers in Michigan."
Unity Studios plans to invest $146 million to create a new film, television and media production studio in Allen Park. The studio will provide production services, including stage rentals, grip, electric equipment, production vehicles, editorial equipment, camera equipment, post sound facilities, music recording facilities, animation design, and a media school.
The Burbank, Calif.-based studio's decision to build in Allen Park, rather than a competing site in Louisiana, was largely due to the tax credits and incentives offered by the state, including a state tax credit valued at $2.8 million over 12 years announced today by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA).
In addition, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) approved training funds for Unity Studios through its Economic Development Job Training Program. The MEDC will provide an employee training grant of up to $1,000 per job for the new jobs expected to be created in the first two years of the project. The training grant could be worth up to $83,000. The MEDC is also working with the city of Allen Park and Wayne County on a potential Renaissance Zone designation.
Unity Studios also will benefit from Michigan's Film Production Credit incentive program, which provides tax credits of up to 42 percent of the amount a production company spends to produce a motion picture or other media entertainment project in Michigan.
The program was signed into law in April 2008 and in the nine months following, 32 film productions were completed in Michigan, generating nearly $70 million in spending, according to a recent report by the Center for Economic Analysis and Michigan State University.
"This is very exciting news for our workers, businesses and the community as a whole," Clemente said. "By bringing the film industry to Allen Park, we will make our community a magnet for high-tech jobs and an economic powerhouse. This project is exactly the kind of jumpstart our community needs right now."