Film productions across North Carolina generated more than $300 million in direct in-state spending in 2024, state officials announced in December. Recently touting its achievements over its first decade, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) mentioned that film production has had a more than $1 billion economic impact on the state since the par ...

Dark Horse Stages' newest soundstages didn’t stay empty for long after opening for business in November. Days after the two, 20,000-square-foot stages debuted, YouTube juggernaut MrBeast set up shop to film, Dark Horse CEO Kirk Englebright said Friday. The Wilmington production facility announced Friday that Greenville’s Jimmy Donaldson, known as Mr ...

It’s 1989 in Wilson, North Carolina, and the crew on a Michelle Pfeiffer movie begins its work. At the same time, 23-year-old Chris Crowder is fresh out of the Navy Reserve and trying to figure out what to do next. He doesn’t know it yet, but his life is about to change. Because the movie industry has discovered North Carolina and is near the beginning of a ...

Wilmington-based production studio Dark Horse Stages recently opened two new sound stages, adding more than 40,000 square feet to its Harley Road facilities. "We are committed to providing world-class facilities that enable creators to realize their visions," said Kirk Englebright, president and CEO of Dark Horse Stages, in a news release. Guests ...

The Cucalorus Film Festival kicks off its 30th year on Wednesday. The festival runs Wednesday through Sunday at Jengo’s Playhouse, Thalian Hall and other downtown venues. “This year’s festival feels like a reunion of sorts. We have some of our favorite performers like Shirley Gnome, Roxana Barba and Alexandra Tatarsky coming to share new work in the ...

Dark Horse Studios Inc. announced a “strategic rebranding” on Wednesday. The Wilmington-based provider of film production stages is now Dark Horse Stages Inc., according to a news release. The release stated that the new name and branding reflect “the company’s core focus on leasing state-of-the-art sound stages, support spaces and offices to ...

Wilmington-based film production company Honey Head Films is making the rounds at film festivals this spring, recently winning the prize for best narrative feature at the Oxford Film Festival in Mississippi. Honey Head co-founder Kristi Ray and her team have been touring across the country showing the company’s first feature-length film, A Song for Imogene, a ...

A panel of five Wilmington film industry leaders discussed the status and future of the evolving local film scene during the Greater Wilmington Business Journal’s Power Breakfast on Tuesday. Panel topics and audience questions ranged from economic incentives and crew diversity to the need for ongoing workforce development.  Panelists were Dan Brawley, chie ...

What do you get when you combine a nationally known comedian, a bank and a Wilmington film company?   The mixture yielded Hart of It All, a film created by Lighthouse Films, produced by Chase Bank and starring comedian and actor Kevin Hart.   Its focus is on promoting financial literacy, generational wealth and entrepreneurship to communities that often lack ...

Dan Brawley thinks the timing of Cucalorus 2023 – kicking off on Wednesday – is a happy coincidence.   “I think we're looking at Cucalorus as a way to celebrate the end of the strike,” he said Monday, referring to the recent SAG-AFTRA agreement ending its 118-day work stoppage. “So, the timing in that regard is great. I have a lot o ...