A former Monroe County lawmaker-turned film producer and actor is planning to open a TV and movie studio in Henrietta later this year.
Chris Wilmot has leased commercial space for the facility at the Genesee Valley Regional Market on Jefferson Road. He's hoping to maximize the square footage to be eligible for New York State tax credits for film and television.
“I think it has the possibility of being a real draw to filmmakers. We're not talking about for films that cost $100 million, but films that are between $1 million and $10 million in the Northeast. We'll advertise and get the word out there."
Wilmot says Rochester can be sold to prospective filmmakers as a city with the architectural antiquity of Boston or New York, but with lower costs and quicker travel times. He's expecting the studio, which is slated to open in November, to create three to five permanent jobs, with the potential for a number of temporary jobs as the space attracts individual projects.
Click on the LISTEN link above to hear more about the project and about Wilmot’s career in film, which includes a role in Showing Roots, starring Cicely Tyson, Elizabeth McGovern, and Uzo Aduba. It airs on the Lifetime Network on Thursday, May 26 at 10 p.m. Wilmot was also the producer of the feature film.
