College opens multimillion-dollar post-production facility

SARASOTA — Ringling College of Art and Design and Semkhor Productions marked the opening of the Studio Labs Post-Production facility on the Ringling campus Nov. 27, the third and final element in the Ringling College Studio Labs Complex.

Ringling College President Larry Thompson, Semkhor and Sarasota County officials took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the facility. Thompson told attendees that students' creative energy is why filmmakers like to come to Ringling to work on productions. Now, he says, the facility will be able to handle the post-production aspect of the filmmaking process.

The complex will be used for academic and commercial productions. According to a press release, the facility includes three new buildings with three 2,000-square-foot soundstages and over 5,000 square feet of post-production spaces, including editing suites, dubbing bays, a private screening and final color room and a Foley sound effects stage.

“Completing the post-production facility is the third jewel in our triple-content crown,” says Thompson in the statement. “This is the culmination of our plan to attract commercial production and economic development to Sarasota while providing career-making experiences for our students, opportunities to retain talent and graduates in the Sarasota area, and state-of-the-art facilities for the long-term growth of both the regional economy and our academic programs."

The Ringling College Studio Labs was conceived and built in partnership with Semkhor Productions. Sarasota County also provided a $1.75 million grant toward building the post-production facility in 2010. 

“With the completion of our entire facility we have created a content engine with which to drive economic development in our region for a long time to come,” says Semkhor Founder and CEO David Shapiro in the statement. "When mixed with the talent and creativity in our region, we look forward to bringing in projects from all over the world."

The stages and Post-Production suites are now in use with several projects currently in production, including two national Walgreens commercials and a shoot for a leading American women’s apparel manufacturer, a statement says.

Jessica Pinns, a 2016 Ringling College graduate who studied film, attended the opening of the facility. Since graduating, she's worked on the Netflix series "House of Cards" and a major motion picture. "It's amazing," she says of the facility. "I wish I had this when I went here. This is a taste of the real world."

Ringling College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 12 disciplines and a Bachelor of Arts in two.

Semkhor is a media and technology company focused on digital content production and distribution. It invested with Ringling College in building the Ringling Studios soundstage and Post-Production facility.