The entrepreneur dubbed it “Hollywood 2.0.” Chula Vista called it a “truly exciting project.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the city of Chula Vista signed a letter of intent with the Chula Vista Entertainment Complex (CVEC). Founder and CEO Aaron David Roberts described it as a vast entertainment production facility.
“I call it ‘Hollywood 2.0 in Chula Vista,'” he said, looking out the top-floor window of Chula Vista’s new Millenia Library building.
Roberts said CVEC will be able to produce movies, TV shows, podcasts, or anything else intended for consumption by the masses.
“We’re looking at cutting-edge virtual production technology,” Roberts said, looking at a plot of land next to the library where a new studio will be built.
“It’s a more immersive experience for the actors. They don’t need to imagine what’s behind them,” he explained. “We estimate the economic impact on the region to be more than $544 million over our first 10 years of operation.”
“This is a really exciting project for Chula Vista,” said Tiffany Allen, Chula Vista deputy city manager. “It’s going to bring a whole new industry to the South Bay and bring the film industry back to San Diego.”
Allen said CVEC will occupy the top two floors of the new five-story Millenia Library building in east Chula Vista. The middle two floors will house Chula Vista’s first new public library in 30 years.
Also Tuesday afternoon, the city signed a letter of intent with San Diego State University to allow its nursing program to expand into the ground floor of the building upon completion late next year.
“It’s not something we planned, but we’re thrilled to have found these partners,” smiles Allen. “We are no longer a bedroom community. We are the economic future of San Diego.
Roberts said CVEC is investing about $85 million in the two floors of the Millenia Library and studio across the street. Roberts expects the studio to be ready for production by 2027.