Watermark Studios: The Media Gateway to Middle America

Watermark Studios: The Media Gateway to Middle America

DOWNTOWN MUSKEGON, Mich., June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- WATERMARK CENTER & LOFTS developers ANM GROUP partners with Andrew van den Houten, owner and president of New York City based production company MODERNCINE, to create a multimillion-dollar film production studio facility in the heart of Downtown Muskegon, Michigan.

Watermark Center & Lofts, the former Shaw Walker Furniture Factory, is a one million square foot mixed-use residential center being developed by ANM Group based in Brooklyn, New York.

Watermark Studios is the latest revitalization component of the Watermark Center & Lofts project. Watermark Studios will offer filmmakers the best film incentive program in the country, as well as the most complete production facility between Los Angeles and New York.

Watermark Studios' plan calls for three major sound stages, the largest at 17,000 sq. ft. and 52 ft. to the grid. Watermark Studios' Mobile Fleet of fully equipped lighting and grip production vehicles can service multiple productions on-location.

Once complete, producers can process their film, transfer their footage to HD, edit their projects, create and render visual effects in state-of-the-art HD color correction suites. 3D animation, tape-to-film transfers and 3D film processing will be available in the same building. Watermark Studios will offer dialog replacement, foley, sound design and sound mixing on THX(R) and DOLBY(R) certified stages. Finished product can be screened in several luxury screening rooms and theaters, also available for viewing dailies.

Production offices and executive suites can be leased on-site adding to Watermark Studios' 'Campus Approach' that is all about convenience. Affordable amenities enable production companies to deliver on time and under budget.

Watermark Studios will make available financial consulting, bridge loans for film and television projects, casting, location scouting and distribution services. Corporate event management and production as well as crew recruitment for all the facilities is available. Every element of this full service production facility creates the infrastructure for a permanent thriving production environment in Michigan.

Plans announced earlier this year for the development of 11,000 sq. ft. of commercial space to be converted into Watermark 920, a 500 seat full service catering banquet and conference center. Watermark 920 will be operated by Hearthstone Banquets and Catering. Scheduled to break ground this summer, it will serve as the exclusive caterer for Watermark Studios both on site and on location.

Muskegon's State Representative Mary Valentine enthused, "I am absolutely thrilled that Watermark Studios has chosen to build its new facility in our community. It will not only create jobs for our workers, but also give a tremendous boost to our economy ... a new direction in economic growth for our state."

Watermark CEO Moses Gross said, "We are thrilled to partner with Andrew van den Houten, as we continue to develop the Watermark Center & Lofts. Partnering on Watermark Studios allows us to expand our offerings and enhance our Watermark development."

van den Houten added, "Coupled with the incentives, we are designing a creative dreamland for filmmakers to push the envelope in comfort and style."

                                 Fact Sheet    * Watermark Studios will break ground later this summer.    * Watermark Studios will be the biggest, most complete film, video and     digital media facility in the Midwest, and one of the biggest in the     U.S. outside of California and New York.    * Michigan offers the best financial incentive program of any state in the     U.S., with a 40% statewide rebate and up to 42% in over 300 core cities.    * Michigan is projecting $399 million to boost the state economy.  This     estimate is actually conservative compared to the results of Louisiana     and New Mexico's gains with lesser incentive packages (New Mexico --     $470 million; Louisiana -- $640 million)    * The Michigan Film Commission received 12 applications for movie and     television shoots before the incentive package was officially made     public in January 2008.  By early May, the office had nearly 100 more     applications to review and had approved 13 of them.    * Michigan seeks to build a film and digital media infrastructure to     create a permanent industry, not just to attract visiting productions.    * Michigan already has a pre-existing television advertising industry     drawing $1 billion in annual revenues.    * Watermark Studios' operations are fully diversified, reducing dependence     on any single sector.  With complete production and post-production     services and mobile production units to outfit up to 4 location shoots     at once, Watermark Studios is set up to service the entertainment,     commercial, corporate, educational, religious, catering and banquet     hall, worker training and recruitment, business consulting and real     estate sectors.    * Michigan labor is ready to work, and extremely flexible with rates and     benefits.    * Michigan offers many diversified shooting locations, with four     differentiated seasons and widely varied locations.  Producers can     choose from the snowy wilderness, the Great Lakes and their shores, the     big city of Detroit, the hot nightlife of Grand Rapids and the vast     expanses of rural towns and farmlands.  Along with the 92 square miles     of mountain ranges, virgin forest, scenic waterfalls, remote rustic     cabins, and 87 miles of hiking trails in Porcupine Mountain State Park,     Michigan offers marshlands, an extensive boating industry and a     generally beautiful array of almost every kind of environment.          Please visit Watermark's website at: www.watermarkcenter.com           Please visit MODERNCINE's website at: www.moderncine.com            Company Mangement Team Profiles Available Upon Request  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Watermark

CONTACT: Sarah Rooks, Head of Marketing, +1-231-727-0805 - W,
+1-231-329-4361 - C, sarahr@watermarkcenter.com

Web site: http://www.watermarkcenter.com/
http://www.moderncine.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment