A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the opening of the Sunnyside campus of East End Studios, a new film and television studio, on Thursday, Oct. 23.
Located at 48-37 48th St., this campus facility spans 350,000 square feet, with 91,000 square feet accounting for four full-service sound stages. The three primary stages each make up between 19,000 and 29,000 square feet, with clear heights of 37 feet. There is also a rooftop flex-stage spanning 15,000 square feet and a clear height of 26 feet. Outdoor terraces on the property provide sweeping views of the skylines in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Among those on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, East End Studios Principal Jonathon Yormak, New York City Economic Development Corporation CEO Andrew Kimball and COO Melissa Roman Burch, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Pat Kaufman and Deputy Commissioner Kwame Amoaku and the New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development/New Media Executive Director and Vice President Yoni Bokser.
“I want to thank everybody who’s here today to support all of the development and all the things that have happened to get such a spectacular facility built and out of the ground. We at East End Capital and East End Studios have been working tirelessly and couldn’t be more proud of our ability to be standing here today in this spectacular facility,” Yormak said. “It’s also amazing to bring something like this to New York City’s landscape, which has a long history of amazing film and television production facilities.”
The facility will be equipped with XR/VR infrastructure, allowing for shooting to be done on a virtual stage. There will also be high-speed fiber connectivity with scalable production-level internet.
“This is a best-in-class film and TV production studio in the heart of Queens. There’s so much energy in Queens right now. we are feeling it all over, a lot of economic vitality, and this is a really important part of that story,” Burch said. “The Sunnyside campus is an important part of really cementing and securing New York City’s status as the premier destination for film and TV production industry around the world.”
In addition to the stages, the facility also features production, office and mill spaces, as well as 225 below-grade parking spaces and eight enclosed loading bays. This all accounts for a combined 125,000 square feet of the property.
“We believe wholeheartedly when audiences around the world see the content filmed on the streets and iconic locations of New York City, that makes them want to work here, visit here and live here,” Kaufman said. “That is so much of the energy and excitement of New York City, the New York we all know and love. We believe the future of film and television production in New York City is bright.”
The Sunnyside campus of East End Studios will be managed by CEO Craig Chapman. Michael Manas will be the Vice President and General Manager of Operations.
“This is truly a historic day for the World’s borough. From “Sesame Street” to “Goodfellas,” Queens has been where so much TV and movie magic has been made over the years,” Richards said. “We want to be the biggest and brightest star in the red carpet that is New York City. And over the last few years, we’ve made some incredible strides in transforming Queens into the Hollywood of the East Coast, into a place where every film studio, every director and every actor wants to be, and part of that has to do with our diversity. Every morning, I wake up and I’m so proud to represent the most diverse county in the United States of America.”
Richards added that the facility will create approximately 750 permanent full-time jobs in the borough. “Through the opening of East End, we’re creating pathways for our kids to go directly from school to the studio, from the classroom to their career,” Richards added.
