Movie company to renovate Dublin office building for 'Hollywood-caliber' studio

DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Dublin office building will undergo a major renovation to become a film production company's "Hollywood-caliber" movie studio with several sound stages and a private screening theatre.

Fallback Studios is moving ahead with purchasing a 259,000-square-foot building at 7007 Discover Boulevard to operate "the first of its kind Hollywoodesque sound stage in Ohio," according to a proposal recommended for approval by Dublin's Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 5.

Once the renovation of the 30-year-old building is complete, the space will include sound stages for film and television, a state-of-the-art LED volume wall, production company offices, an event space and a café. Fallback is also partnering with Gateway Film Center to launch an on-site theater with about 60 seats available for private screenings.

"Fallback Studios will provide a gathering place in Dublin, with our partners Gateway Theaters, to provide not only black-tie movie premiers, and other media, corporate and public events, creating a public attraction and demonstrating Dublin's spirit of community," the proposal states.

The building's current tenants, a design agency named WD Partners, will remain on site and occupy about 35,000 square feet. Two indoor recreation businesses, Hit Dogs and Spot Athletics, that also currently operate inside the building would remain until their leases expire within the next year.

Fallback will generally have about 50 employees on site, and filmmakers may have 50 to 200 workers depending on the film's budget. There will also be space for three to five tractor trailers in the rear of the studio, which will remain parked for weeks at a time for each production.

Dublin City Council approved in July an economic development agreement with Fallback, totaling $240,000 and consisting of a seven-year, 18% performance incentive on withholdings totaling up to $120,000. The deal also includes a $60,000 solar installation grant and a Dublink fiber lateral grant also worth $60,000.

"We are incredibly excited to bring Fallback Studios to Dublin," said Dublin economic development administrator Kirby Dearth. "Their facility will be unlike anything else in the area. Their operations will position Dublin in the international motion picture industry and bring a host of partnered companies to the city."

The city's incentives are contingent on Fallback providing proof of its building purchase by Jan. 1, 2025, and receiving an occupancy permit and occupying the facility by May 1. The project is anticipated to bring approximately $621,000 in net withholdings over the term of the agreement, alongside significant investment in building improvements that city council said align with Dublin's goals of environmental sustainability and digital connectivity.

Kevin Kale, the CEO of Fallback, told NBC4 he wants to make central Ohio a hub for filmmaking and believes he can grow Ohio's film industry to $3 billion in the next five years.

"There's a tremendous amount of talent in the city of Columbus, whether it's directors, writers, crew, freelancers," Kale said. "And this, this really creates the opportunity for them to be even more successful than they, than they already are."