James Ingalls II fell in love with movies at age 6, spending his youth making “Jurassic Park” homages with a small VHS camera. Later years found Ingalls at DePaul University, where he studied film production while shooting at Cinespace Studios’ famous Chicago sound stage.
Leaving Cleveland for a high-end production experience is what inspired Ingalls to build a mid-size equivalent right at home.
Ingalls, 27, is planning a film studio campus just north of the former Linderme Tube Co. site in Euclid. Called Creative Spaces, the proposal includes a 15,000-square foot sound stage along with a small office building at the front of the property – the stage will be 38 feet tall, and fit for everything from “Superman”-sized blockbusters to modest high-school productions.
“We’d be looking to host movies like ‘Superman,’ but if a kid has $50 and we have a gap in our schedule, we’ll be like, ‘Come on in,’” says Ingalls. “At DePaul, I took so many classes at Cinespace, just being on stage using top gear and equipment. Let’s build that type of economy for Cleveland’s film students.”
The aspiring cinematic stronghold is slotted for 4.3 acres of vacant land acquired by Costanzo Family Limited Partnership No.1, a real estate holding company run by Ingalls’ mother, Mary. Parma-based architecture firm Christopher A. Lobas & Associates is leading the $5 million project, one that Ingalls believes can put Cleveland on par with Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and other national heavyweights.
Once complete, Ingalls’s stage will be larger than 65% of the soundstages at Cinespace Chicago and Universal Studios LA, he says. Not only does the campus match the scale of facilities found in major markets, it also offers a more cost-effective production environment, adds Ingalls.
Located just 15 minutes from downtown, the facility’s pillarless, soundproof layout is designed for interior shooting – a shift for a city better known for hosting big-budget superhero flicks on outdoor streets.
“We wanted to make sure that wherever we ended up, we’d have an industrial feel you don’t get in Los Angeles, Chicago or Atlanta,” Ingalls says. “Cleveland has a rich industrial history built with precision and grit – the same principles apply to (the film) industry.”
Ingalls, a Lorain native now residing in Fairview Park, graduated from St. Ignatius High School before attending DePaul as a film and television production major. In Chicago, Ingalls worked for Emmy-winning firms on video content for international brands such as Beam Suntroy, Lennox and the Emmy Awards itself.
Frequent scouting trips to Northeast Ohio in search of studio space eventually persuaded Ingalls to return home full-time. Hollywood offshoring” is a concern as well, considering more productions are moving to Europe and other regions based on lower costs and better tax incentives.
Ohio has a 30% refundable tax credit for feature films, television series and documentaries with a minimum budget of $300,000. Strategically located within a day’s drive of New York and Chicago, Cleveland also offers filmmakers budget-friendly locations alongside low- or zero-fee permits. According to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, filming here is 41% less expensive than Los Angeles, and half as costly as New York.
Ingalls’ planned facility will ideally integrate with a cinematic ecosystem that includes TRG Multimedia, a 160,000-square-foot photography, CGI, and content creation space in Brooklyn, says Bill Garvey, president of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.
“It’s great when stars come to Cleveland and you see that on the news, but what’s lost is there’s thousands of jobs behind the camera,” says Garvey. “At the film commission, we are supportive of all filmmakers, especially local, and we’re all working toward the same goal.”
Ingalls’ long-term vision for his campus includes another three soundstages, as well as cultivation of a local crew pipeline to help establish Cleveland as a go-to filming destination.
“The American film industry has had its issues, so let’s be part of returning it to a tradition of excellence,” says Ingalls. “The big picture is to create a sustainable, economically smart center for films to work in.”
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