LV film industry promoter frustrated at lack of activity

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

Frustration is growing for the organization that is attempting to diversify the Las Vegas economy with an injection of the Hollywood film production industry.

Mimosa Jones, president and chief executive officer of the Entertainment Development Corp. of Las Vegas, said Wednesday that her frustration may be heightened by listening to optimistic film executives.

Jones said she is constantly hearing industry professionals from Southern California tell her that Las Vegas is a can't-miss opportunity for a greater role in the movie industry if the city had sound stages to accommodate production companies.

The latest to weigh in on the matter: Gary Bastien, president of Bastien & Associates Inc. Architecture and Planning. His Los Angeles-based company designs studios, live entertainment venues, sports facilities and offices and has developed the Los Angeles Center Studios downtown and the Manhattan Beach Studios where popular television shows "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice" are filmed.

"Las Vegas is the most user-friendly place for a studio that I can think of," Bastien said. "If a six- to eight-stage studio were built here, it would get immediate response. It's kind of tragic that nothing has happened."

Jones, whose organization is about to observe its second anniversary, said she feels there has been little progress in adding infrastructure because "we haven't assembled the right team yet."

The EDC has been at the forefront of setting meetings to bring key players together to discuss proposals. But little has happened after those closed-door meetings for a variety of reasons.

Jones said an effort to develop sound stages in Southern Nevada would require cooperation from local governments, the gaming industry, developers and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. She said it's difficult to convince gaming industry officials that hosting game shows or tapings of sit-coms could be a boon to their properties since most casinos already have proven formulas for success.

Bastien said many developers know the economics of building warehouses, industrial parks and offices, but they don't have as much experience with sound stages and tend to stay away from the unknown.

"The heavy hitters aren't understanding this and that's probably our fault for not explaining it," Jones said. "Maybe some of these people haven't been to a sound stage."

Jones said she hasn't heard anything lately from the Las Vegas developer who wants to build "Media City," a proposed complex of sound stages, a casino-hotel and an arena. Jones said the developer wants to stay anonymous until he acquires the land and completes the deal.

A Las Vegas company that operates sound stages in a converted frozen food warehouse already has worked with two Hollywood productions. Marilee Lear of Lear Casting said her property on 7.5 acres at Mohave Road near Charleston Boulevard has worked with the production companies for the films "Lucky Town" and "Pay It Forward."

Lear said the development of her studio, which isn't officially open and requires special fire marshal supervision when in operation, is a slow process because she doesn't have the finances to build quickly. Lear said she quit the EDC and said Jones doesn't give her company credit as a studio because it doesn't have large financial resources.