Gateway Studios and Production Services, a unique music and film manufacturing campus, will be created in Chesterfield, Missouri, introducing a new industry to the state. The 32-acre, $111 million development will employ more than 100 music and film professionals who will manufacture, build, test, and launch globally touring musical acts and movies.
“We are excited to welcome Gateway Studios and the music and film manufacturing industry to Missouri,” Governor Mike Parson said. “We know Missouri’s central location will be an asset for Gateway Studios and its globally featured products. These 100 new music and film jobs will help expand the skillset of our workforce as we continue our efforts to prepare Missourians for the jobs of tomorrow.”
“This is a game-changer for the live event and production industry,” said Trey Kerr, Gateway’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are adding capacity and additional services while creating hundreds of jobs for an industry that has largely been on pause for more than a year. We have an extraordinary senior leadership team with more than 100 years of experience in live touring production. GSPS offers video, lighting, and sound manufacturing and production services, and live event management. This is a facility that could only have been built from the ground up, so well planned, so complete that it is without compromise.”
“We are excited to have the country’s largest music and video manufacturing center select St. Louis County as its home,” said St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page. “This new industry for our region brings jobs and new economic development opportunities. Thank you to the County Council for approving my request for legislation to make this project possible.”
Chesterfield won the project due to its convenient logistical access which allows clients to build and create their productions in a central location before moving throughout the United States.
“The type of advanced manufacturing GSPS provides the music and film industries is new to our region, and we’re excited to welcome the group as employer and innovator,” said Steve Johnson, chief business attraction officer, Greater St. Louis Inc., and president of the AllianceSTL business attraction initiative. “Their vision takes advantage of our strategic central location and unique transportation assets, and it aligns with the STL 2030 Jobs Plan to create high-quality jobs in next-generation industries and technologies. We join our state and local partners in congratulating the new Gateway Studios development and acknowledging it as a win for us all.”
“This is a great opportunity for St. Louis County to get a state-of-the-art facility in an industry that is not currently here,” said Mark Harder, St. Louis County Councilman, District 7. “We are excited by the prospect of the economic impact this will have in Chesterfield and the surrounding communities.”
The campus will feature a new hotel and extensive training and educational elements to establish a solid talent pipeline for this new industry in Missouri. The manufacturing and production studios will be the starting point for global music tours, large movie productions, and major television shows. The campus is projected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2023.
“Gateway Studios is a state-of-the-art facility that will set a new bar for the live entertainment’s rehearsal and production needs,” said Jesse Sandler, Production Manager for Phish, Inc. “It was designed by touring professionals, for touring professionals and that is evident in every detail.” Sandler is also Gateway’s President of Studio Operations.
“Today, we are celebrating with Gateway Studios on its new, one-of-a-kind facility in Chesterfield,” said Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon. “This project is especially exciting because they are not only bringing new jobs and investment to our state but an entirely new industry. The impact that this will have on our state extends beyond a place to work and make a living for our citizens, it will make Missouri a competitor in the film and music industry like never before.”
“We were thrilled to work with Gateway Studios, in support of Greater St. Louis, Inc., on this exceptional new development,” said Subash Alias, CEO of Missouri Partnership. “This project will create more than 100 new jobs that will enhance the local economy and launch a new and vibrant industry in Missouri. There is nothing else like this in our state, and we are very much looking forward to seeing where this takes us.”
For its new operation, GSPS used the Missouri Works program, an incentive tool to help companies expand and retain workers by providing access to capital through withholdings or tax credits for job creation. The company is also partnering with Missouri One Start to provide tailored recruitment assistance to meet the company’s specific workforce needs. Missouri One Start’s professional training network ensures companies have the right workforce with the right skill set when they need it.
