Center planned for media collaboration
BlueRay Technologies rolled out the red carpet Friday for area officials and businesspeople, announcing a push for collaboration among the local media industry and offering a tour of its downtown Blu-ray plant.
BlueRay executives declared the formation of the Pacific Northwest Media Center – a “catalyst” for media production, digital distribution and film preservation – although it’s not clear how it would be organized or who would participate.
The structure of the organization hasn’t been determined, said Susan Jenkins, BlueRay’s vice president of administration and public policy. It could be just a group of people from different areas of media working together, she said.
BlueRay CEO Erick Hansen envisaged the center a few months ago, Jenkins said. BlueRay already is working with other area technology businesses, she said.
Hansen sees the center as a nonprofit that involves local government and economic development agencies, he said.
“We just want to bring a bunch of people together where we can create jobs and technology and maybe bring some new revenue and some new lifeblood into Spokane,” said Hansen.
Greater Spokane Inc. would be willing to function as a convener, said Gary Mallon, technology industry manager.
John Daly, CEO of Los Angeles-based independent film production and distribution company Film and Music Entertainment Inc., said he hopes to bring projects to the area.
Daly, executive producer of movies such as “The Terminator” (1984) and “Platoon” (1986), said he feels “tremendous good will here.”
BlueRay and Film and Music Entertainment this spring unveiled Edge of Light, a co-venture to give independent filmmakers a method to distribute their work in Blu-ray – one of two high-definition formats vying for consumer support.
In Hollywood, Daly said, he rarely hears people talking about making movies in Washington state.
“I’m hoping that with the promotion of the Media Center, we can change that,” said Daly, who was visiting Spokane for the first time.
Dozens of guests crowded into a basement room in BlueRay’s Commercial Building on West First Avenue. Some watched whirring machinery that forms plastic beads into high-definition discs capable of holding 25 gigabytes of media, such as movies or games. Large flat-screen TVs flashed animated movies.
Company executives declined to discuss production contracts, but Jenkins said the company has some “really incredible things coming up.”
While BlueRay has been in test phases, it’s made nearly 200,000 discs, including producing 17,818 in a 24-hour period without any downtime, said James Schumacher, vice president of operations.
The company plans to run around-the-clock with dozens of employees once it reaches full production.
“We’re pretty much ready,” Schumacher said.
Construction is under way on the building, and Hansen envisions a massive solar array and other “green” building features.
“We had a few bumps in the road, but so many people in this room have been there for us,” Jenkins said.