Lionsgate Studios Yonkers, the sprawling new complex on the Hudson River just outside of New York City, officially opened three of its sound stages and 500,000 square feet of office and support space today, as part of ‘a million square foot project announced by Deadline last month.

When complete, the studio will feature 11 large sound stages (one spanning 30,000 square feet, eight to 20,000 square feet, two to 10,000 square feet). The primary tenant Lionsgate will occupy seven of the stages of a long-term lease. The project was developed by Great Point Studios, a specialist investment fund started by prolific producer and Hallmark Channel founder Robert Halmi and former media investment banker Fehmi Zeko.

“With greater demand for new content than ever before and top notch studio space at a premium price, we are delighted to partner with Great Point on the opportunity to become a senior tenant of Yonkers Studios,” said the Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “They will bring state-of-the-art East Coast soundstages to our television and film productions near New York City, and we look forward to seeing them become an important hub for our global production operations. »Lionsgate Television Run the world, produced for Starz, will be his first show to shoot there. The studio produces more than 40 television shows for various outlets, including Starz.

Mediapro, a global production and distribution company headquartered in Barcelona, ​​has also signed a long-term agreement as a key tenant at the site. It will occupy its first stage later this year and has options on two more planned expansion stages.

The $ 500 million facility will include parking for 750 cars and 100 trucks, post-production facilities, screening rooms, office and support spaces, and production services, including grip and l ‘electricity, equipment, accessories, set construction, restaurants, catering, cleaning service and security. . Construction is underway and additional stages and office space are expected to be phased in between September 2022 and December 2023.

The Yonkers studio is the newest and will be one of the largest in the Northeast. It is rising amid a huge boom in construction and buying in the production space driven by the rise of streaming. Global content production is booming, but places of production haven’t grown as quickly. The New York area is particularly underserved. Also, in the era of Covid, producers are increasingly looking to shoot on sound sets where everything is in the same place and where risks can be controlled.

Lionsgate Studios is located on the Hudson River in downtown Yonkers, adjacent to the Metro North Railroad station and is a milestone in the ongoing revitalization of a historic part of town. “This state-of-the-art media complex will help complete the transformation of the Yonkers waterfront,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. He said local business would benefit from the expected “1000+” people working in the studio complex on a daily basis.

There is also an educational component: The SI Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University is also on board as a partner. Television, radio, and film students enrolled in the Newhouse NYC program will take classes and receive hands-on training at the site. Junior and senior undergraduates will be part of the inaugural program.