NewHavenBIZ

18 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a y 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m Lights, Camera … By Liese Klein F rom movie shoots on Chapel Street to celebrity sightings at Wooster Square pizzerias, any glimpse of Hollywood in the New Haven area tends to make headlines. But few red-carpet entrances in recent years could match that of Michael Jai White, the action star who had a vision of building a major movie studio on River Street in New Haven's Fair Haven neighborhood. "I want to say how proud I am for coming back home and bringing you a new venture with Jaigantic," White said, speaking with New Haven Biz in August 2021. Raised in Bridgeport, White said he hoped to bring film industry oppor- tunity and well-paying jobs to un- derserved young people in southern Connecticut through the efforts of his namesake company, Jaigantic Studios. Jaigantic's plans for Fair Haven were widescreen in their scope: A complex of 25 soundstages and an array of production facilities, starting with a 50,000-square-foot building to be con- structed on city-owned land at 46-56 River St. e project was projected to cost $200 million and employ thou- sands of people when complete. While the New Haven studio was under construction, production would ramp up in a leased building in Shelton, where Jaigantic had built out several soundstages and installed mammoth video screens to serve as backdrops. Whether it was leading tours of Fair Haven or showcasing digital-video screens at a major Greater New Ha- ven Chamber of Commerce event, White and his Jaigantic Studios team had many business and civic leaders anticipating the economic impact from White's New Haven plan, with a groundbreaking announced for spring 2022. But the stretch of River Street where Jaigantic planned its "Creators District" remained mostly desolate last month, with stretches of empty land and graffiti-scarred buildings. e area was quiet except for distant traffic and some birdsong. A similar silence reigned at Jaigantic's headquarters in Shelton, an industrial building at 10 Constitution Blvd. On a weekday late last month, when the studio was listed online as open, not a single car was in the parking lot, all doors were locked and lights were turned off. Officials at nearby Shelton City Hall said that recent emails to Jaigantic had received no response. Staff at the diner across the street said that studio offi- cials used to hold meetings there but hadn't been seen for months. Jaigantic Studios did not respond to repeated requests for comment, nor did the company's Shelton landlord, OD Realty LLC of Easton. Most of the executives who took part in Jaigantic's 2021-22 media blitz have since le the company, according to reporting by the New Haven Indepen- dent. White himself remains active pro- moting upcoming film projects on social media, although his last Tweet with the #Jaigantic hashtag was posted in November of last year. Jaigantic's website outlining its New Haven plans remained live as of last month, embla- zoned with its tagline, "Where Heroes Rise." 'Boots on the ground' Jaigantic executives first came up with the New Haven studio plan in 2020, and "put their boots on the ground during the height of the pan- demic," according to the company web- site. White first announced the project on social media in March 2021. e first outreach to residents came in June of that year, with a presentation by Jaigantic to the Fair Haven Com- munity Management team. at was followed by meetings with local law- makers and tours of the proposed site, with the media invited to tag along. e studio project would be funded with government grants and tax breaks, Jaigantic executives told lawmakers at the time. Even though many city and commu- nity leaders were enthusiastic, Jaigan- tic's plan sparked controversy from the start when the movie studio was blamed for popular cra beer-maker New England Brewing pulling back on a plan to move to Fair Haven. (e brewery opted instead to move to waterfront property in West Haven, although Jimmie's restaurant and the Land Trust of West Haven filed to block the move in September.) In August 2021, Jaigantic hosted a gala party in Shelton for the region's arts community to outline its plan, complete with a Tinseltown-style step-and-repeat photo opportunity and a teaser trailer projected on a huge screen. By then, the company had begun official discussions with the city of New Haven on a development agreement for city-owned property at 46/56 River and 112 Chapel, having signed a memoran- dum of understanding earlier that year to make its interest official. Jaigantic promotional efforts came to a climax in November 2021, with a show-stopping presentation at the Big Connect, the annual business expo of Actor Michael Jai White showcased his company's digital video technology at the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce's Big Connect event in 2021. Action star's ambitious New Haven movie studio plan stalls PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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