Pittsburgh: The Hollywood of the East?

When he enrolled in the cinema program at Point Park, sophomore Ben Jackson knew he would be heading to the West Coast after graduation.

Ayla Miller, also a cinema production major, felt the same way.

“I want to check out New York or Los Angeles after graduation, but that’s coming from a person who has an intense desire to travel.”

However, students and hundreds of others are now finding that they may have an opportunity to stay close to home because Pittsburgh’s film business is growing to have earned itself the title of the “Hollywood of the East” due to the many films and other cinema projects being produced here.

With a generous film tax credit, affordable union expenses and a gorgeous skyline, the steel city has attracted film directors and producers of all realms to make their cinematic masterpieces here. Since 2009, blockbuster hits such as “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” and “The Fault In Our Stars” have raked in over $300 million to the region’s economy and have made a mark on Pittsburgh as being a sought after filming location. There is more to come. Newly opened production studio, Studio C, opened back in November. This state-of-the-art film and television studio provides rookie and veteran filmmakers with fives sound stages, equipment rental, and a photography studio. This will open up the doors even more for filmmakers to produce their work here in Pittsburgh.

Jackson believes that Pittsburgh still has some work to do before being compared to the likes of New York or Los Angeles. “In order for that to happen, there would need to be a bigger emphasis on creating and maintaining production companies right here in the city, beyond just supporting the ones that come to us like Warner Brothers or Universal.”

While Miller doesn’t believe Pittsburgh is the new Hollywood, she does think that these opportunities will help bring a new view to the city. “Cities thrive on having more people, and film simply ends up advertising Pittsburgh”, Miller explains. “As long as the films are showing the city in a positive light, it’s free marketing.”

Even with big dreams of making it big in Hollywood, future cinema production graduates are still keeping Pittsburgh in mind as a place to call home for their careers. Darrell Brock, a graduating senior, plans on staying for a few years after graduation and believes filmmakers will begin to relocate to Pittsburgh. “I believe for at least a short period of time, filmmakers will be relocating here to Pittsburgh. The city is ranked one of the most livable in the United States and the tax breaks on Filmmaking are definitely making the ‘Burgh more popular!”

Anna Rigatti, also a cinema production major, believes the diversity of the land in itself is enough to bring directors and producers to Pittsburgh. You can go from urban, suburban, and rural all within an hour or hour and a half of the city; the diversity of different locations throughout is a big selling point.

Though most students are still figuring out where to go from here after graduation, Pittsburgh has begun to prove itself as a prime location when making a name for them.

Most importantly, Rigatti believes that the increase of film production has helped the city more than just financially and as a place to make a name for yourself. “This helps the city, by creating more Pittsburgh pride,” Rigatti says. “There’s always a lot of people wanting to get involved on productions and really help show what a great city Pittsburgh is.”