SAN DEIGO — A new project could bring Hollywood down to San Diego.
Aaron David Roberts is the power behind the project of the Chula Vista Entertainment Complex. The complex will bring movie studios to his hometown of San Diego, allowing creatives to produce movies, TV shows, podcasts or anything else consumed by the masses.
“It’s always changing every time I’m here. More and more progress,” Roberts said. “Hollywood-style post-production facilities, recording studios, edit bays.”
Late last year, the Chula Vista City Council gave Roberts the green light to take over the top two stories of the building that will also house a new library. The project will eventually build a brand-new studio across the street.
Roberts expects the whole project will take about three years to finish and will cost $85 million dollars. Most of his funding comes from investors and eventually studios will pay to use the space, bringing in profit.
“I was standing on the corner looking at the building, there was definitely a moment that hit me of ‘woah what am I doing? That’s huge!’” Roberts said.
More than a hundred creatives from around Southern California packed into a community meeting in February to hear Roberts speak about the potential.
Luis Alejandro Bustamante is a director and producer. He grew up in Chula Vista but now lives in Orange County. He says the Chula Vista Entertainment Complex will create jobs that otherwise would only be found in Los Angeles.
“How can we get me to come back home, how can we get some of these other local talent who maybe moved to LA. I’ve met a bunch of people here already who live in LA but are from San Diego originally, right? So let’s bring them back home,” he said.
Eric Pierson, Ph.D., is a professor and the co-director of the film studies minor at the University of San Diego. He believes when construction is complete, the complex is setting the region up for success.
“The state of the art is always evolving, so when you build a new facility, that means that you are now at the front of the state-of-the-art conversation; so that part is very exciting,” he said.
Pierson added that it will be up to the surrounding cities to ensure the continued success in the future, by offering attractive incentives and tax breaks for productions to come here.
“You want to create this art, but you’re in the process of a business proposition; and so those things have to be able to work together,” he said.
Roberts believes the space will create $544 million dollars within the Chula Vista area over 10 years. He’s hoping to provide the infrastructure and the leadership to bring back San Diego’s film economy.
“Once we’re up and running, you’re going to be seeing movies that have been shot and made here from pre-production, production, post-production, and then are going out to the rest of the world,” he said.
Roberts grew up in San Diego and started working on films for his dad’s production company when he was just 10 years old.
