Oklahoma City film studio given 2-year notice to find new home as site eyed for new arena

Prairie Surf Studios, the heart of Oklahoma City’s burgeoning film industry, is on notice it has two years to find a new home as its current location, the former convention center, is eyed as the possible site for a new arena.

City Manager Craig Freeman notified city council members the city is sending two years' notice to Prairie Surf that their lease at the former Cox Convention Center will not be renewed when it expires on Dec. 31, 2025.

Rachel Cannon, CEO of Prairie Surf Studios, thanked the city for giving the company a chance to prove its business model and a place to set up multiple studios that enticed major films and television shows.

“While this wasn’t originally contemplated as a permanent home, it has wildly exceeded our expectations in supporting production at the highest level, both with 'Tulsa King' and now 'Twisters,'” Cannon said. “We look forward to exploring the next chapter of Prairie Surf Studios.”

More: If a new arena is built, few options exist for building an NBA-worthy home for Thunder

Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a 1-cent tax to build a new arena that will start in 2028 when the MAPS 4 tax expires. The former Cox Convention Center, home to Prairie Surf Studios, opened in 1972 and has long been plagued with design flaws and roof issues.

The block is across the street from the current arena, Paycom Center, and because it is owned by the city, it is widely considered the likely location for the new arena. The city has a tight timeline to design, build and open the new arena by the 2028-29 NBA season as part of an agreement with the Thunder to sign on for a new 25-year lease.

Freeman said the city has not yet chosen a site, but confirmed it is a potential location as only a couple of large sites are available to accommodate the desire by the Thunder to continue playing downtown. The former convention center is the only option owned and controlled by the city.

“If we’re not going to build there, we would re-evaluate this (a move by Prairie Surf),” Freeman said. “We had to give them this notice, and either way, this (site) is not a long-term solution.”

Prairie Surf struck a deal to open in the former Cox Convention Center in 2020 after the new convention center was built across from Scissortail Park. The possibility of the studio site being cleared to make way for an arena has been publicly discussed for more than a year. Alternative sites for Prairie Surf were not disclosed after the arena vote.

“The arena site has not been decided yet,” Cannon said. “And neither has ours. We look forward to growing this homegrown 'Hollywood' beside the NBA as we build a brighter tomorrow for Oklahoma. Together.”

The downtown studio served as the production hub for the first season of the hit Paramount+ series “Tulsa King,” which is believed to be the largest scripted TV series ever made in the Sooner State, and for the upcoming blockbuster “Twisters,” the anticipated follow-up to the 1990s Oklahoma-made movie “Twister,” as well as for several smaller projects.

“Twisters” started filming in Oklahoma earlier this year, shooting over the spring and summer in and around Chickasha, El Reno, Okarche and Cashion as well as at Prairie Surf Studios and elsewhere in downtown Oklahoma City.

Although a nondisclosure agreement is involved, “Twisters” is believed to be one of two movies approved over the summer for Oklahoma City’s new film incentive tax rebate.

The 2024 blockbuster thought to be “Twisters” boasts an almost $200 million overall budget and was expected to spend an estimated $42.6 million in Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma City Film & Creative Industries Office. The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber estimated this summer a "tremendous" economic output of $258 million from the project.

Prairie Surf Studios employs four full-time employees and its affiliate, Prairie Surf Creative, employs five full-time employees. The company is credited with recruiting productions that employed thousands in Oklahoma.

Jeff Seymour, executive vice president at the chamber, said Prairie Surf is a part of the city’s desire to grow its film business into a 24/7 industry.

“It has been growing,” Seymour said “Our focus is to create a place for the creative industry, and that in turn draws creatives to our city. It’s our mission to keep PSM (Prairie Surf) operating long term.”

Staff writer Jana Hayes contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New arena prompts OKC to tell Prairie Surf Studios to find new home