Liverpool, N.Y. -- American High, the film production company that made Central New York its home three years ago, is looking to leave Liverpool.
A “for sale” sign sits outside the American High building, the former A.V. Zogg Middle School now known as Syracuse Studios. Commercial real estate group Cushman-Wakefield and Pyramid Brokerage are listed as the exclusive agent for the 97,000-square-foot building located at 800 4th Street in Liverpool, as first reported by the Eagle Star-Review.
American High founder and filmmaker Jeremy Garelick, who bought the property for $1 million to turn it into a film school and production studio, confirmed the listing to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard but said that he doesn’t really want to leave Liverpool.
“The Village of Liverpool has been incredibly gracious and welcoming to us,” Garelick said in an email. “It’s just that they have codes and responsibilities that don’t apply to the anomaly that is American High.”
Syracuse Studios has been used for at least eight movie productions in less than three years, including 2020 Sundance Film Festival standout “The Night House” and American High films like Pete Davidson’s “Big Time Adolescence,” which sold to Hulu for $4 million; the love triangle rom-com “Banana Split;” and the upcoming teen party comedy “The Binge,” directed by Garelick and featuring Vince Vaughn. The building also houses The Academy at Syracuse Studios, a film school that began offering classes to the public earlier this year, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Village of Liverpool Code Official Bill Reagan tells syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that Garelick is facing additional costs, though, in attempts to create a soundstage within the Syracuse Studios building for a commercial film studio. There are no issues with the film school, Reagan said, but New York state fire codes require a sprinkler system for buildings intended for filming purposes.
“Obviously, it’s not inexpensive,” Reagan said. “And I think Mr. Garelick feels that he’d rather put money into the film industry and employing people rather than one building.”
Reagan said he’s spoken to the state numerous times for a way to resolve the code requirements, but the only solution appears to be a costly modern upgrade for the two-story limestone and brick building, built in 1928 as Liverpool’s high school.
“The village would love to see them remain here as a film school but the one thing we can’t do is change the state fire code,” Reagan said.
“I hope we can come to some sort of a resolution with the Village, but despite all the energy and time the Village has devoted to trying to make this work, I am still very unclear what we are being asked to do,” Garelick said. “Despite how much I love this building and how far we’ve come towards fulfilling our goals here, a building doesn’t make an industry. People do.”
In addition to the film academy, Garelick previously said he hoped to use the school year-round for filming teen comedies set in high schools, focusing on a niche market that’s been underserved since the John Hughes “Brat Pack” era. He found the Liverpool building through an online search for high schools for sale, and was surprised to learn his wife’s cousin lives in the Syracuse suburb — and even more surprised to later learn about the existing state-funded film hub in DeWitt, now known as the Greater Syracuse Soundstage.
Garelick has used the Greater Syracuse Soundstage for scenes, and could continue using it for upcoming film productions. Syracuse also now offers more production space because The Oncenter and the Redhouse Arts Center were named Qualified Production Facilities last month; films and TV shows that use a QPF are eligible for the New York state film tax credit, which is now 35% for productions in Upstate New York (and 10% more than movies and TV shows in New York City).
American High recently completed reshoots for “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise” at the Greater Syracuse Soundstage now that New York state has allowed film production to resume with coronavirus restrictions. American High’s eighth movie is expected to begin filming soon, and another production company, On Three Pictures Inc., has also been shooting movie scenes locally.
“The Binge,” the latest film from Garelick and American High, will be released Aug. 28 on Hulu. Four other American High movies, “Holly Slept Over,” “Banana Split,” “Big Time Adolescence,” and “Looks That Kill,” were released this spring.
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August 18, 2020 at 05:44AM
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Film company American High leaving Liverpool? Syracuse Studios building for sale - syracuse.com
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