Worcester Business Journal

22 Worcester Business Journal | July 22, 2024 | wbjournal.com PHOTOS | ERIC CASEY BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Staff Writer A n increase in film and tele- vision production in Cen- tral Massachusetts has led to frequent media attention over which of Hollywood's biggest stars is the latest to have graced the region with their presence. But in an unsuspecting warehouse on Route 9 in Leicester, a new media pro- duction studio hopes to have an impact on the region's cultural scene. HollyWoo Studio, which held a ribbon cutting in June, is the work of Worcester native Angelo Padin. A grad- uate of North High School, Padin's time in the military allowed him to travel to the West Coast, where caught his first glimpse of Hollywood. Aer leaving the U.S. Marine Corp, he spent time between Massachusetts and California, trying to make it as a model and actor. Couch surfing and sleeping out of his car for a period of time, it appeared Padin had caught his big break in 2019, when he was cast in "e Battle at Lake Changjin," a Chinese-produced, Korean War action film. His first big movie role, Padin would be tasked with playing an American soldier while teaching other Cameras, not guns Worcester native's HollyWoo Studio looks to add to region's media scene, provide creative outlet for youth actors how to behave like members of the U.S. military. A dream deferred "e Battle at Lake Changjin" eventu- ally made $913 million at the global box office, becoming the highest grossing non-English language film in history, according to Variety magazine. But sadly for Padin, his opportunity to participate in the film was ruined. He arrived in China just weeks before the situation involving COVID-19 rapidly intensified, leading to the first travel bans and shutdowns related to the pandemic. Production was shut down for months. When it resumed in September, producers elected to go with cast mem- bers already in China. "It was like the big break that never happened," Padin said. "So it put me back here in Worcester." Padin found work as a real estate agent, but the artist inside him was craving for a creative outlet. at's when a chance encounter with his former bas- ketball coach at North High School, Al Pettway, led to an idea to create a two- part documentary series entitled "We the North," capturing behind-the-scenes moments as the school's 2023-2024 boy's basketball team won a Division 1 state championship. "I was like, 'Alright I don't need to be in Hollywood to be able to make a film,'" Padin said. "ere are stories all around us." Hollywood to Hollywoo Now confident meaningful media could be produced in Central Massa- chusetts, Padin, who oen goes by the moniker Ambitious Angelo, decided to focus his ambitions on opening Holly- Woo Studio. Located at 69 Main St. in the Cherry Valley neighborhood of Leicester, just over the municipal line from Worces- ter, the studio space includes multiple podcast studios, space for editing and production work, and a larger studio for film and photography work. e main hallway of the space resembles a movie theater lobby, complete with movie post- ers that were salvaged from the closed West Boylston Cinema. Operating under the unofficial motto of "Shoot cameras, not guns," Holly- Woo Studio hopes to be an incubator for young media professionals. Padin is working with a number of local high schools to provide studio space and aer-school programming for the next generation of filmmakers, photogra- phers, and podcasters. "Not everyone is an athlete or a schol- ar," said Padin. "I want to give people a community and an outlet to voice some of their visions that they have." Bigger ambitions Beyond the youth-focused programming, he hopes Hollywoo Studio can become a refuge for creatives of all ages and backgrounds, creating more collaboration in the Worcester area's creative scene. "ere's enough work for all of us to be able to make a living here in the city and beyond," he said. "e more things that bring us together allow us to create something that's powerful and meaningful." With final touches still being put on the space, Padin is hopeful the facility will have a grand opening in September, with aer-school programming officially beginning around that time. He believes the new studio will bring more life to the region's entertainment production scene, which was burgeon- ing before the combination of Holly- wood strikes and the pandemic caused a slowdown. "To see Hollywood coming to the Woo is priceless," he said. "e more creatives that we have in this area, the more stories that can be told from here." Angelo Padin was set to star in a Chinese- produced war film, before COVID derailed those plans. HollyWoo Studios occupies an older building and has space for mulitple productions. Padin salvaged these movie posters from the now closed West Boylston Cinema. W

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