Wyoming filmmaker and actor Sean Patrick Higgins recently welcomed the world to his new basecamp in Missoula, Montana.
The University of Wyoming graduate and Sheridan native hosted a ribbon cutting May 16, unveiling The Studios @ Story House Montana — a 47-acre film production facility coming to life on the campus of the former Roseburg Forest Products plant and lumber mill.
In search of tax incentives unavailable in Wyoming, Higgins moved his film production operations to Montana.
"There's no incentives in Wyoming right now," Higgins said during a recent phone interview from California, where he was meeting with investors for three film projects planned for production this fall. "There's a better runway in other places."
The site, formerly owned by what Story House described as "a company in a nonrenewable, pollutive industry," has been reimagined as a clean-energy media manufacturing hub.
"Missoula has given us the opportunity to show what the next era of entertainment infrastructure can look like — green, local and values-driven," Higgins said.
Those values include a commitment to training a local workforce and creating opportunities for Montanans transitioning out of jobs in the timber and other extractive industries, according to company materials.
The facility features five premium sound stages totaling 181,100 square feet, 33,800 square feet of production offices, and 61,075 square feet of workshops for set design, props, and storage.
The site will include an Americana backlot and a unique rail line running through part of the building where Higgins envisions rail cars as part of the standing set.
"Something that very few, if no other sound stages can offer in the U.S.,” said Higgins.
Green Energy
Higgins’ vision is to become "the first operational, green sustainable film studio" by integrating solar and other renewable energy sources.
Leading the green development efforts is Roger Gaudette, the studio's director of land management, who previously managed Ford's Dearborn facilities in Michigan and created what was once the world's largest green roof — a 16-acre facility with stormwater recapture and innovative water recycling systems.
"Roger's leading our development, and he's weaving in a lot of these certified principles and green energy technologies to look at a more sustainable path," Higgins said, adding the studio is exploring partnership opportunities with a large green energy project currently in development in Missoula.
This illustration shows part of the redevelopment plans for Story House Montana, which includes five sound stages, production suites, commercial workshops and a streetscape built over the next five to six years. (Courtesy Story House Montana) 
This illustration shows part of the redevelopment plans for Story House Montana, which includes five sound stages, production suites, commercial workshops and a streetscape built over the next five to six years. (Courtesy Story House Montana) 
This illustration shows part of the redevelopment plans for Story House Montana, which includes five sound stages, production suites, commercial workshops and a streetscape built over the next five to six years. (Courtesy Story House Montana) 
This illustration shows part of the redevelopment plans for Story House Montana, which includes five sound stages, production suites, commercial workshops and a streetscape built over the next five to six years. (Courtesy Story House Montana)
St. George
Story House Montana will locally produce its first major film, "St. George," this fall.
The drama is written and directed by Andrew Pastides (known for work on "Blue Bloods" and "Law & Order") and executive produced by "Friday Night Lights" alum Matt Lauria. Its production is partially supported by the state’s Big Sky Film Grant.
The film tells the story of two brothers — one brother has Down syndrome, and the other serves as caretaker and mentor.
"It deals with two brothers who are navigating grief through very different life experiences," Higgins explained.
Most of "St. George" will be shot on location in and around Missoula, and the production will have offices on the Story House Montana campus.
The site aspires to accommodate lighting companies, camera providers, and other film service vendors as anchor tenants.
"We're creating a film village, essentially," Higgins explained. "Just like if you were to walk out onto Warner Brothers backlot, you'd have your little streetscapes where you look like you're in Europe.
“You can walk over to a different area and you'd be in, you know, a block of Manhattan."
The facility offers unique features, including covered parking for star trailers, allowing talent to move from trailer to sound stage without going outside during harsh weather.
"Walk out, walk down the hallway, walk on to their stage in their set, shoot their project, and then come back from their scene and pop back into their trailer, all without ever going outside," Higgins said.
"Someone can come in there and sign a lease with us, and they could be in there next week, working and shooting," Higgins noted.
Local Jobs
One key goal of Story House Montana, said Higgins, is to generate enough production work in Missoula to support more than 400 local jobs.
"Too often, Montana's artists and filmmakers feel like they have to leave home to make it," said James Brown III, Higgins’ partner in Story House Montana. "We're building a place where they can launch careers, tell stories, and create lives, right here."
Higgins echoed this sentiment: "We're not just building studios. We're creating an ecosystem.”
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
