As film, TV and creator-led content continues to ramp up in the New York metro area, the Manhattan-based MCM Studios is merging with Looking4Larry, the creative studio founded by Mitchell Stuart and WWE hall of fame manager and creative Paul Heyman.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Heyman says the deal creates a production and creative firm that will be “end-to-end one-stop shopping” for film and TV studios, advertisers or independent content creators.
Their first order of business post-merger? Building “the biggest LED volume wall in all of New York,” Heyman says. “That’s the type of step that is necessary to build out a business in 2025, 2026, 2027 that is forward-thinking and tries to stay one step ahead of the curve of the constantly changing production needs, both from major studios and from independent content creators on low budgets.”
Volume walls have become a focal point of virtual production, allowing for shoots to be set almost anywhere, with realistic lighting and set design. The major film studios all have them on their lots in Los Angeles, but building one in Manhattan would open up avenues of production to new potential clients.
“This brings both big budget and affordable production back to New York at a time where we have these studios being built in Bergen County, New Jersey; We have the studios being built and these movies all being shot in Yonkers right now, which has become a big hub; We still have all these production offices in Long Island City, which 10 years ago, everybody thought was going to be the East Coast Burbank,” Heyman says.
He adds, “What we’ve noticed is, all these movies are being shot in Yonkers, all these sound stages are being built in Yonkers. Are they doing LED volume walls? … It’s a lot of soundstages. There’s a lot of production going on in New Jersey, but then what happens? Then it goes elsewhere. There’s no one-stop shopping. There’s no hub, there is no center that you can walk in the door with a concept, walk out the door with a finished product, and the ability to market and promote it. And those were the boxes that we wanted to check.”
MCM Studios has been utilized by brands like Nike and shows like Hot Ones, while Looing4Larry’s clients have included Spotify, 2K Sports, EA Sports, MSG Entertainment, Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, iHeart Media, Feld Entertainment and NASCAR.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Mitchell for decades, building a long-term creative foundation together,” said Michael Canzoniero, CEO and creative director of MCM Studios. “Now, with the full array of superpowers that Paul Heyman and Looking4Larry bring, we’ve assembled a world-class creative and production team — client-first professionals dedicated to delivering at the highest level.”