VIDEO: Ringling plans multimillion-dollar film expansion

Ringling College of Art and Design will continue to expand its footprint in the coming years, as President Larry Thompson announced plans for the construction of a new digital filmmaking complex today.

The project, which totals roughly 30,000 square feet, is slated to span almost one city block from Central Avenue to Cocoanut Avenue along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 25th Street. The building will include a multimedia soundstage and a professional post-production studio, amenities targeted at growing the college’s digital filmmaking program.

As part of that program, which was created in 2008, Ringling has provided students with the opportunity to work with film professionals such as Anna Paquin and Werner Herzog. Thompson said the new project, on which "Moonrise Kingdom" co-writer Roman Coppola is serving as a consultant, would allow for even more professional opportunities for students.

“What we really want is for our students to make the connections, to learn from these professionals about the craft and about the art of making movies and doing entertainment media,” Thompson said. “That was the goal. Lo and behold, with this, it will finally happen.”

The building will be used for both educational and commercial purposes. In addition to drawing more professional companies to film in Sarasota, Thompson said, this will give Ringling students the chance to work on those commercial productions. Thompson said networking plays a particularly important role in the film industry.

"Every business is a 'who do you know’ business,” Thompson said. “This is a 'who do you know' business on steroids."

The plans also expand the campus’ footprint westward along the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way corridor. Thompson said the school was excited by the opportunity to enhance its connection to the Newtown neighborhood, and that he believes the project will serve as a catalyst for economic growth in the area.

“We are tied to and love Newtown,” Thompson said. “We want to do anything we can do to make certain we all thrive.”

Sarasota Mayor Willie Shaw said the project would bring needed energy, economic activity and cohesion to the area.

“What we're going to do here is not only going to increase what is Ringling,” Shaw said. “It is going to increase this whole corridor as we go forward.”

The project is a collaboration between multiple public and private entities. Sarasota County committed a $1.75 million grant to the college for a post-production studio in 2010, and renewed that grant earlier this year as Ringling's plans evolved. Thompson developed the plan with David Shapiro of Semkhor Networks, which co-founded Ringling’s Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab.

Ringling, Semkhor and BHS Properties are collaborating on the construction of the property, which is slated to begin in 2015 and targeted for completion in 2016. Thompson said the costs are still to determined, but said that it was roughly a $5 million to $7 million dollar investment. He said adequate funding for the project should already be secured, though the college is still interested in philanthropic donations.

In addition to the film complex, Ringling College is also working on the construction of a new 46,000-square-foot library and hopes to grow its student body by 15% in the next 3 to 5 years. Thompson believes the plans for expansion will lead to significant growth beyond the Ringling campus, as well.

“We hope to be able to expand this whole film area and make it a multimedia region for economic development,” Thompson said.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].