Taiwan Land Development Corp (台灣土地開發) has teamed up with Canada-based Cameron Thomson Group to build a studio park in Hualien County with a view to making it a local version of Hollywood.
The “Huallywood” project aims to create an end-to-end ecosystem in the scenic area to assist global film and TV producers by facilitating content development, production, distribution and monetization, Taiwan Land Development chairman Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生) said.
The park is part of an ongoing development project in the Hualien Bay area that is to encompass a residential complex, hotels, movie theaters and recreational and retail spaces, Chiu said.
“Hualien has advantages to offer the world production market by creating the next generation of filming facilities for international producers,” said Chiu, who gained credentials in TV and film production before delving into property development.
The park might help local film and TV producers move into the spotlight, taking over as the nation’s main industry from the information technology and communications sectors, Chiu said.
Huallywood is to have eight sound stages of sizes including 3,000m2, 2,000m2, 1,500m2 and 500m2. It is also to have 20,000m2 of production and executive office space, as well as outdoor stages and other facilities, Taiwan Land Development said.
The film industry has entered the era of digitalization, where content development has gained more importance than distribution channels, Chiu said, adding that quality content allows Hollywood to maintain its lead position on the world stage.
“Content creators need advanced facilities, technology and production resources to increase cost efficiency,” Chiu said.
“Huallywood studios is designed to provide world-class facilities to cover every phase of production,” he said.
After its completion, the project will provide jobs for media production professionals in Taiwan and contribute to the national treasury, Chiu said.
Cameron Thomson Group president Ronald Thomson said the digital revolution and intellectual property-based content distribution have caused dramatic changes in the film and TV industry worldwide, driving producers to search for ways to produce better-quality content at lower costs.
“Efficiency enhancement is the key to survival for industry participants these days, and Huallywood intends to provide solutions covering aspects of finance, studio development, operation, production, post production, media asset management and content distribution into its value chain,” Thomson said in Taipei.
Cameron Thomson Group is a major provider of outsourced business development solutions for the media, entertainment and technology sectors.
Dutch brewing company Heineken NV yesterday said that it has reached an agreement to acquire a subsidiary brewery of Taiwan’s Sanyo Whisbih Group (三洋維士比集團). Heineken is to assume majority ownership and management rights of the Long Chuan Zuan Co (龍泉鑽興業) brewery in Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔), the Dutch company said. It would become the first multinational brewing company to operate brewery in Taiwan once the acquisition is completed. The deal has been approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Investment Commission, but details of the financial transaction cannot be disclosed at this time, as terms of the settlement have not been completed,
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