Tim Kirkman: Tim Sabo, welcome to Eastern Standard. How are you?
Tim Sabo: I am good. Thanks for having me.
TK: It's a pleasure to meet you. I am interested in what's happening in Kentucky right now with the film and television and media industry, and I'm curious to get your take on what's changed. There's just been a huge uptick in productions here.
TS: I think the biggest change is they figured out how to do the incentive right. Right now Kentucky has probably the most attractive incentive program for film and TV production in the country. They compete with New Mexico. They compete with Atlanta. They compete with Connecticut, New Jersey. And they by far have what is probably the most beneficial to production, the incentive. The one key ingredient to that is they incentivize the entire crew. So you can bring your entire crew if you want and get 30% incentivization on all of that crew. Most people don't do that. They'll bring the heads of departments, and then there's enough crew here, and we're building crew out every day. We're just building more and more and getting more people coming in and creating the products for them to stay here and work.
TK: For people who don't know what you're talking about when you say incentives, can you give us just a primer on what that's about.
TS: So states, to try to attract production, will create a program where whatever you spend in that state gets an incentive, which means, say, I have a million-dollar project, there's certain items that if I'm spending that in the state — say, my crew salaries, rental of facilities, purchases, like I'm buying a bunch of lumber to build sets — all of that is incentivized. So after you do your production, you do an audit and you go to the state and say, hey, listen, we did this, this, and the state works with you and you figure out what qualifies and what doesn't.
In Kentucky, it's a cash rebate. So they literally will just reimburse you for 30% of what was spent. that qualifies for the incentive. Some states do it different. They do a tax rebate that's discounted and that type of stuff. But Kentucky is doing it right, and people are starting to take notice, and they're coming here.
TK: Can you tell me a little bit about how LEX Studios came about and what your vision is for the future?
TS: LEX Studios is an old movie theater. It's a 10-plex. It was built in the '80s. It was abandoned. Misdee Wrigley, the owner, got involved in a court show called Relative Justice in 2018 and was looking for a place to shoot this and build this set, a courtroom set, kind of like a Judge Judy type thing but where relatives fight. There was nothing in Lexington big enough for her to build that and film it. So her husband, who's in commercial real estate, owned this property in this theater that had been vacant for ten years. They were ready to either convert it into storage or demo it. And he said, "Well, why don't we turn one of the old theaters into a stage?" And so they did that.
But while they were filming, only a third of this whole building was actually renovated and cleaned up for this production. So two-thirds of that space was just completely gutted and demoed while they were doing this courtroom show. That was 2019-2020. And then COVID kind of ground things to a halt because he couldn't get the talent and it was just too hard to film. So they shelved that. She said, "Well, instead of doing another season of this, why don't we just build out the rest of this place and just go for it and make it a studio?" So that's what they did.
So three years later, now I have 52,000 square feet of production facility. I've got three stages, 25 offices. I have dedicated wardrobe, hair and makeup, green rooms, and it's all brand new. It's gorgeous. Everyone who just walks in there falls in love and wants to film there. So it's just a matter of getting everyone out here to take a look.
TK: How is LEX Studios luring some of the folks in New York and L.A. and saying come to Kentucky?
TS: It's tricky because Kentucky doesn't have a centralized film office. So it's kind of hard because a lot of people, normally, when they want to go to a state, like if I was going to go film in New Mexico, I would go straight to the film office. We don't have that luxury. So through our marketing, our social media, not only are we promoting LEX Studios, we also promote the state. So that helps.
For instance, we had a launch party and I had tons of press for that. People who are transplants that are now in Los Angeles that are from Lexington, they were coming across some of that social media. I probably get at least three or four emails a day of someone saying, oh my god, I can't believe this is in Lexington. You're giving us a reason to move back. We want to come back. That's happening all the time. People are really excited about it.
But then just through social media, perfect example, out of the blue, our CEO of Wrigley Media Group, Joe Livecchi, he gets an email from one of the heads of Netflix and says, "God, we're seeing a lot of Wrigley Media Group and LEX Studios. What's going on over there? You've piqued our interest. Let's do a Zoom call." They reached out to us and just happened to see that there's a lot of buzz about LEX Studios in Kentucky. So they're sending people out in October and we're doing a whole weekend with them to show them the facilities, doing Keeneland and giving them the whole Lexington experience. We're going to get Netflix out here. You watch.
TK: That's fantastic.
TS: But there's a lot of outrage. It's hard. Between myself and Joe Livecchi, the CEO, we're just knocking on doors and just emailing and pounding the pavement.
TK: Speaking as someone who just moved from Los Angeles to Lexington and is in the film industry, I'm a filmmaker, writer, director, I want to kind of look at the other side of that coin. I work primarily in the independent film space, which is I know a lot of filmmakers in this area and in Louisville and other parts of the state. That's where they come from. So I'm curious, what's the best way for an independent filmmaker to work with LEX Studios?
TS: The best way for an independent filmmaker to get into LEX Studios is to email me because I'm an independent producer and I've made eight films. So I'm very empathetic to the plight and I know how it happens. And perfect example, there's a film in there right now. They're base camping. Their budget is $400,000, which is very low budget. I bent over backwards to make, I even built a set for them last week with a lot of materials I had laying around that were just scrap and then spent a few dollars at Home Depot and boom, I built a set, which basically was a sitcom set for this feature. That's how I help out independent filmmakers.
I have another one that just came in two days ago and they're also base camping there. That's $3.5 million, a little bit bigger. I'm treating them the same way. I'm doing everything I can to make their lives easy. An Academy Award nominated actress is their lead, and I'm excited for that one.
TK: So if I don't have a huge budget and I come to you, you'll work with me somehow.
TS: Of course.
TK: That's great.
TS: Always.
TK: You know, there's so much changing in the industry right now with AI and VFX at a level and changing at a level and a speed that I've never seen before. I'm curious what your take on all of that is and how it might affect what you do and what LEX Studios is going to do in the future.
TS: Yeah, that's interesting because we go back and forth about creating a mill in one of the spaces I have for a mill, meaning this is where they would saw and cut wood and build sets and build flats so you could build sets on your stages. As much as I love the smell of cut wood, it's the way of the past and I'm looking to drop a video wall somewhere on one of my stages. So I think at the end of the day, there's going to be like the big budget, high level stuff that always uses that. But then there's always going to be that shoestring bootstrap, low budget world that's always going to be cranking out product that's good stories, good character development. That's all that matters at the end of the day.
TK: How is shooting in Kentucky beneficial to filmmakers who are interested in telling the kinds of stories that you're talking about that have great character and meaning?
TS: What I'm finding, mind you, I've only been in Kentucky since February. So this is all still new to me. But what I'm saying and what I'm experiencing is kind of how filmmaking was for me in the late '80s in Chicago where I would put cones in a street, put a dolly out there and the police would show up and say, "Hey, do you want us to help you and stand here and make sure no one runs into you?" That was like the Wild, Wild West back then, and it was great. Of course, that changes now. I think Atlanta is going through the same thing where it's getting expensive. Everyone knows the drill and everyone is kind of jaded because it just happens so often.
But Kentucky, and I can only really speak to Lexington, the level of excitement and just the attitude of the people that live here is unprecedented. They're so excited about having production come here. Perfect example, I have a true crime series that's filming on one of my stages and they've been here for months. Everywhere I go -- the other last week, I was running a car at Hertz. The gentleman behind the counter, I was telling him where I work and what happens there. He's like, "You got to get me on a true crime show." So I hooked him up. I got him. I think he got killed in episode 301. Everyone, locations, everyone is so agreeable and excited and they're excited to have people around. They love it.
That just does not happen. That is not the norm for filmmaking. Especially the low budget stuff, when you don't have money to do it properly and every cent counts and you're begging sometimes, it's great when people are receptive and want to help you out. It really makes a difference. Because that way you can focus on what you're filming versus making sure that you're not going to get shut down because you couldn't afford to be in a certain place for a certain time. You're there a couple hours too long. That happens. Filmmaking is a tough process. Lexington in general is incredible for that, and I'm seeing it more and more.
TK: You have a wide range of experiences with some of the top brands that we all are familiar with, CBS, NBC, some festivals. I recognize Showtime. I mean, you've been around. What is it that brings you back to this industry? What led you to it and what brings you to it?
TS: What always excited me about this industry, it's funny because I get more excited about the trucks and building base camp and setting up the craft service and catering and just that whole energy. Because basically it's a small army and it's a mobile army. It's a fascinating dynamic just to have a production and you're moving these people around and how things get packed up. Literally, 40-50 people descend on a space and it looks like a disaster area. And then 12 hours later, they're gone and everything is back to exactly how it was. I just always loved that process. That's what led me to producing. I want to make LEX Studios a place where everyone can go and experience in whatever capacity.
Tomorrow I have a woman coming in. She heads this group. They teach young kids like 9-10 years old, and they take short films. One writes it, they direct, they produce. So they need some help. I'm going to bring those kids into LEX Studios and blow their minds and start creating that next level or the future filmmakers of Kentucky.
TK: That sounds fantastic.
TS: Out of all the things that are coming through, I think that one is what I'm most excited about.
TK: It makes me want to take that class.
TS: You're a little old.
