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SPARTANBURG \u2014 Two South Carolina natives are teaming up to bring a film and television production studio to the Upstate.<\/p>\n
Salt Run Entertainment<\/a>, led by Broadway actor and director Charles Randolph-Wright and Spartanburg<\/a> native John Gramling III, will establish a residency at Spartanburg Community College\u2019s Spark Center, a business incubation facility on the college\u2019s campus in Duncan.<\/p>\n The facility will serve as the company\u2019s headquarters and hold a filming studio, writers\u2019 room, warehouse for set design and the company\u2019s offices. Through its partnership with SCC, the company will connect with students and provide opportunities to learn about the film and television industries through internships and workshops.<\/p>\n Spartanburg County Councilmember Monier Abusaft said in a press release that the partnership is \u201cthe very reason why Spartanburg County\u201d invests in resources such as the Spark Center and that it could provide opportunities for minority and Black creatives.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Spark Center has been a launchpad for manufacturing and distribution companies, but with the arrival of Salt Run Entertainment, it is now also a catalyst for our creative economy,\u201d Abusaft said.<\/p>\n Randolph-Wright, a native of York<\/a>, has worked on Broadway as well as in film and television. He said establishing the company is about more than \u201cproducing great stories \u2014 it\u2019s about creating an ecosystem for them to thrive in the Carolinas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, this is a homecoming. My career has taken me across the world, but my roots are here in South Carolina,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to inspire students, empower communities, and prove that the next generation of entertainment leaders can come from this region.\u201d<\/p>\n The company is also partnered with the Urban League of the Upstate, a nonprofit focused on workforce development, education and housing. The two will collaborate to expand workforce development initiatives around the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This announcement<\/a> comes as the South has seen the film industry leaving to head overseas to minimize costs. Atlanta, once a hotspot for the entertainment industry, has felt this migration the most<\/a>, but so has South Carolina.<\/p>\n Despite USA Network\u2019s newest TV series, \u201cThe Rainmaker,\u201d being set in Charleston, the show was mostly filmed in Ireland to save money<\/a>.<\/p>\n While one partnership won\u2019t single-handedly rectify this, it could help Spartanburg\u2019s infant entertainment industry<\/a> grow homegrown talent. Matthew Storm, the director of the South Carolina Film Commission, said the partnership will expand the state\u2019s entertainment industry workforce and economic footprint.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hope for everyone is that Salt Run Entertainment brings high-quality productions to the Upstate that can both appeal to communities and incubate a new job market,\u201d Storm said. \u201cThis activity will show the Upstate \u2014 and lawmakers statewide \u2014 how film can be a powerful economic engine for South Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n