Cherokee Nation breaks ground on new soundstage as part of 'self-sustaining film ecosystem'

The Cherokee Nation is getting ready for more action in its rapidly expanding "filmmaking ecosystem."

Tribal and local leaders gathered alongside actors and filmmakers Wednesday morning for the ceremonial groundbreaking of a new building to house a second soundstage on the Cherokee Film Studios Owasso Campus.

"I am such a fan of what has been going on here at this studio so far ... because it represents so much of the future of the Cherokee Nation," said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. during the groundbreaking, which was live-streamed.

"The film and TV industry is not only the future, it's a forever industry. And that's the reason that the Cherokee Nation is and should be and will be heavily involved in its development for this region: To help our people."

How is the Cherokee Nation expanding its Cherokee Film Studios Owasso Campus?

Situated on more than more four acres within the 7,000 square-mile Cherokee Nation Reservation — which spans all or parts of 14 northeastern Oklahoma counties — the Cherokee Film Studios, Owasso Campus, currently consists of a single 27,000-square-foot building.

Formerly an indoor soccer facility, it houses the Cherokee Nation's cutting-edge xR, or extended reality, virtual production LED volume studio.

"The existing space that we have, it was already built, and we outfitted it to be a soundstage. This one will be purpose-built from the ground up, so therefore, we're going to do 35-foot-high ceilings, which is 10 feet higher than the existing building," Jennifer Loren, senior director of Cherokee Film, told The Oklahoman by phone Tuesday.

"It really is our answer to practical set building. So, this is just a soundstage — a big black box — that will be industry standard."

About 13 months ago, the Cherokee Nation cut the ribbon on its state-of-the-art virtual production LED volume studio, billed as the first of its kind in Oklahoma. By March, the tribe already had updated its virtual soundstage, more than doubling its LED wall, which now measures 80 feet long and almost 17 feet high with a ceiling 18 feet deep.

Wednesday's groundbreaking celebrated the start of construction on a second building on the Owasso Campus that will house the tribe's second, 10,000-square-foot soundstage.

"What you're seeing today is a manifestation of our effort to further diversify the economy, to bring opportunities to the Cherokee citizenry and their neighbors to pursue careers in things that we couldn't even imagine back when I was coming up," said Chuck Garrett, chief executive officer for Cherokee Nation Businesses, during Wednesday's invitation-only ceremony.

To complement its high-tech virtual soundstage, the Cherokee Nation is going more old-school with its second soundstage, although the new one will have full soundproofing to cinema standards and a modular truss system with chain hoists. And having two soundstages will allow the Cherokee Nation to accommodate more complicated and bigger budget productions, Loren said.

"We constantly have films and TV coming to us asking us for space to build practical sets, and we have been able to accommodate them. But it's tricky when that (current) space is full of an LED wall. So, this is the answer. We will have a second soundstage where practical film can be created," Loren said.

"Also, it creates a swing set, so they can be filming one week in Studio A while they're building what they need in Studio B. They don't have to stop production."

When will construction be finished on the Cherokee Nation's second soundstage?

The second building on the Owasso Campus is expected to be completed in early 2024. Along with the new soundstage, it will boast a hair and makeup room, a multipurpose flex space, restrooms, 14-foot bay doors for load-ins and RV hookups for production trailers.

The tribe's current Owasso film facility will get a new lobby and waiting area for clients, construction mill space equipped with a cyclonic air filtration system, production offices, conference rooms, wardrobe and storage spaces, an audio recording suite, catering kitchen, an additional green room and another multipurpose flex space.

"We're really making as many flex spaces as possible, because every production has different needs," Loren said.

Despite the ongoing Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America strikes that have slowed film and television production, Loren said the Cherokee Film Studios have stayed busy as the tribe creates its own content as well as hosts outside projects, including some independent productions that have been granted waivers by the actors' union.

"We'll still be open during construction. We've got films and projects that are still renting the studio, and we're creating our own (projects) still — and that's not stopping," she said. "We worked into our construction contract a certain number of days that they have to just hold when projects are utilizing the space."

How does the new soundstage fit into the Cherokee Nation's expanding 'filmmaking ecosystem?'

The new construction on the Owasso Campus is just the latest and most tangible action sequence as the nation’s largest federally recognized tribe continues making major forays in the film business.  

Earlier this month, the Cherokee Nation rolled out an expansion, reorganization and rebranding of what Loren called the tribe's "filmmaking ecosystem."

Owned by Cherokee Nation Businesses — the tribe's board-governed holding company — Cherokee Film now boasts more than 30 full-time employees working across four branches: Cherokee Film Productions, Cherokee Film Studios, Cherokee Film Commission and Cherokee Film Institute.

"It's come together organically as a tribe, from just suiting our needs to tell our own stories and increase economic activity, which is part of our mission. ... But it's happening at a time where the film and television industry is in this really important pause," Loren said.

As Hollywood struggles to figure out the future of show business as the dual strikes linger and uncertainity over AI looms, Loren said the Cherokee Nation is already working to create a "never-before-seen, new type of film industry."

"When the strikes lift, we're going to be a self-sustaining film ecosystem, where we can create our own productions, hire our own people, film them in our own studios. We can bring in external (projects) to help support the workforce and infrastructure with our rebate program and our film commission. Then, the institute is something that we'll be launching in the coming months," she said.

"We think that we have the potential to not only be a leader in film and television when it comes to Indian Country, but also for Oklahoma, for the region and as a model for the industry."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Cherokee Nation expanding Owasso film studios with second soundstage