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Este informe no está disponible en español. CARIBBEAN BUSINESSMotion Picture Complex Finally Underway In CanovanasBY HECTOR BERRIOS FIGUEROANovember 9, 2000 The long-waited MECA Studios is closer to becoming a reality. The major motion picture complex will be built on the island at an initial investment of $50 million. Michael J. Solomon, president of Michael Solomon Enterprises, and Carlos R. Rodriguez, president of development firm Interstate General Properties (IGP), signed an agreement on Oct. 16 for the first phase of the project’s construction, which will include audio, television, photography, and film production studios. The complex, will be on a 58-acre property next to the El Comandante Race Track in Canovanas, and include educational facilities for a training institute for local film professionals. The first phase, to be developed at an initial investment of $50 million, consists of eight buildings on an 8.2-acres, will contain the center’s administrative offices, cafeterias, retail stores, and an exhibition theater. A 10,000 square-feet building will hold four photography studios and an additional 20,000 square-feet structure will house the educational institute. IGP will develop the project. There will be also two 20,000 square-feet soundproof studios. Facilities will include audio, TV, and film post-production facilities as well as those for props and scenery. Construction should begin within six months, according to IGP’s Rodriguez. As first reported by CARIBBEAN BUSINESS in July 1999, plans for the future development of the motion picture studio and post-production facility include the center’s expansion into a $250 million complex that will provide 2,000 jobs. The educational institute will be an extension of the Los Angeles Film School, directed by Carolyn Pfeiffer. The local facilities promise to be the institution’s first campus outside Los Angeles with courses mostly in Spanish. International companies that have already expressed their interest in the film production complex include Modern Film and Video, Ray Art Studios, and ACT Productions. This Caribbean Business article appears courtesy of Casiano Communications.
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