Introducing Kemble Street Studios in the Berkshires

Kemble Street Studios (KSS) will establish the Berkshire region of western Massachusetts as an inclusive, diverse, and globally recognized destination for education, innovation, and production in film and media.

Emerging filmmakers from here and around the globe have important stories to tell. However, many are without access to affordable film school, hands-on technical training, and outstanding business education.

We are committed to changing that.

About

Kemble Street Studios is a mixed studio, lab, and classroom environment dedicated to education in the art and craft of filmmaking and responsible media development. It will establish the Berkshires as an international destination for media thought leadership and production, while also being accessible to everyone living in the region.

KSS will be a comprehensive, cutting-edge facility anchoring the production industry in the region between Boston and New York, staffed and overseen by highly regarded and established industry professionals. The facility will include a 12,000 square foot sound stage and will feature live, virtual, and augmented reality production, as well as next-generation post-production capabilities including editing and sound mixing. KSS will also operate as a hub for streaming media technology from the region, delivering internet-based distribution of original content from local filmmakers, innovation centers, scholastic programs, as well the many cultural organizations thriving in the Berkshires.

A Center for Education

Kemble Street Studios will:

  • Cultivate conversation around responsible media messaging and exceptional cinema
  • Teach essential technical skills – like cinematography, editing, sound mixing, lighting/sound design, virtual production – as well as the business of filmmaking
  • Create a residency program for renowned filmmakers to teach and inspire the next generation
  • Provide an inclusive environment where diversity and multicultural viewpoints are welcome and supported through scholarships and proactive outreach
  • Establish relationships with overseas filmmakers and educational institutions to share innovative techniques and  programming
  • Develop film curriculum to take into every school in Berkshire County (in progress)

A Spark for the Creative Economy

Kemble Street Studios will:

  • Centralize and attract film and media production to the region creating good paying jobs for our community and revenue for businesses (hotels, caterers, etc)
  • Stream and broadcast original content from the Berkshires
  • Provide workforce training and internships through our local schools and community programs – to attract and keep our young people here
  • Be a resource for companies and nonprofits to become “video literate” – to create inspiring stories for their social media, marketing, branding
  • Support the goals of the Berkshire Blueprint 2.0 – job training, population retention/creative economy growth

A Hub for Innovation

  • The Berkshires has been a generator of groundbreaking technology in film/visual effects for over 50 years – from the legacy of Doug Trumbull (Back to the Future: The Ride and MAGI techniques) and Mass.Illusion (Oscar winner: What Dreams May Come, The Matrix) to today’s companies, Cadence VFX (Game of Thrones) and DisruptAR (virtual production for Disney/ABC, ESPN).
  • KSS will be an industry thinktank to collaborate and cultivate what’s next in film and media
  • Nestled outside of a metropolitan area, BFMC+ will be a lab for companies testing new technology and exploring what’s next in the industry

The Process Is In Motion!

APRIL 2021 – APRIL 2022: PHASE 1: A 2022 feasibility study confirmed that BFMC+ would have a tremendous cultural and economic impact for the Berkshire region. $60,000 raise – COMPLETED

MAY 2022 – MARCH 2024: PHASE 2 includes engineering studies and 3D renderings of our potential space on the campus of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA, permitting, grant writing, rent to hold the space, organizing of capital campaign and legal fees. $450,000 raise 75% rasied to date).

APRIL 2024 – JUNE 2025: PHASE 3 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN – $15-$20M

JULY 2025 – OCTOBER 2026: BUILD

OPENING: LATE 2026

YOU CAN IMPACT THE LANDSCAPE OF FILM AND MEDIA

BY BECOMING A FOUNDING PARTNER

A major pledge will establish you as a Founding Partner. Founding Partners are invited to strategic conversations about the future of film and media with opportunities to influence the design of our programming and studio.

Since 2009, the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative has promoted and facilitated filmmaking in western Massachusetts, and we are positioned to spearhead the creation of this international film and education studio. With the help of our vibrant and famed creative community, as well as a steering committee of internationally recognized film and media professionals, we are on track and have done the due diligence of a feasibility study to ensure the viability and success of this project. This has given us the confidence that our vision is achievable, along with a roadmap for how to achieve it.

MAJOR DONORS TO DATE:

  • Berkshire Bank
  • The Feigenbaum Foundation
  • Greylock Federal Credit Union
  • Guardian Insurance
  • GWFF
  • Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust
  • Massachusetts Cultural Council
  • Mass Development
  • Donald C. McGraw Foundation

LOCAL PARTNERS:

  • 1Berkshire
  • Bard College at Simon’s Rock
  • Berkshire Community College
  • Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (CEDS awardee)
  • Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
  • Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires

For more information, please contact Diane Pearlman, Executive Director, diane@berkshirefilm.org or 413.329.3912

Special thanks

to Kemble Street Studios Sponsors