A Hollywood-sized film-production complex in Memphis will help meet the need for more Black representation in film content and production.

That’s according to Jason A. Farmer, the founder of Black Lens Productions (BLP) Film Studios. He talked to The Daily Memphian Thursday, June 10, just after the Land Use Control Board unanimously approved a planned development for an 85-acre compound in Whitehaven for soundstages and support facilities needed to create movies, commercials and other creative productions.

Hollywood-scale film lot planned for Memphis

Asked what could give Memphians confidence that such an ambitious development will actually get built, Farmer responded, “This has been well received and we researched this concept for several years before we presented anything.

“… We’ll now move to the next phase of securing some production partners that will work with us in the development of the project,” Farmer said.

Asked about the demand for such a large film production compound in Memphis, he said, “There’s a huge unmet demand, particularly for general market content that is created by Black and brown content creators.

“And all the legacy television stations, production companies, streaming companies, none of them have enough content that is marketed toward Black and brown communities. So we’re hoping Memphis will become the epicenter for that,” he said.

Farmer had just introduced to the planning board his two partners in BLP Film Studios. Cecilia Barnes, who’s also BLP’s general counsel, and Carolyn Henry, who also serves as the chief financial officer.

Farmer, a Marine veteran and longtime small business owner, has said he knew little about the film industry until more than a decade ago when his then, 9- or 10-year-old son, Jason Farmer II, expressed interest in becoming a filmmaker.

“We had no idea what that encompassed,” Farmer said. “So we started reaching out, trying to figure out how we could help him on his journey to become a filmmaker.”

Farmer introduced his son to the planning board, saying he is now an honor student in film studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

The quality of the development team working on the film-studio project also illustrates the credibility of the project, attorney Dedrick Brittenum told the Land Use Control Board. Brittenum represented the project before the board. The team includes architectural firm HBG Design, engineering consultant Reaves Firm, contractor Montgomery Martin and development consultant NuDev.

 The site comprises undeveloped land off the southwest corner of Elvis Presley Boulevard and Holmes Road.

Farmer showed the board a slide presentation with renderings depicting a dozen sound stages for film and TV, editing suites, post-production work, sound-track recording studios, mill shop, buildings for prop storage, offices, a hotel for out-of-town production crews, gift shop, housing for production staff, and event center.

Fourteen people stood in the council chamber when Farmer asked his BLP team, consultants, supporters and family to stand.

Farmer told the board he took several years “trying to figure out how we could take the natural resources of Memphis and create the kind of environment here.”

The idea, he said, is not just to serve Memphis-based filmmaking projects, but “we could in fact become the epicenter for film and TV projects from around the world.”

Farmer told the board he grew up in the Foote Homes public housing community before his family moved to the Westwood/Whitehaven area. He graduated from Whitehaven High before serving in the Marine Corps.

Most recently he’s worked as a small business owner the last 20 years, he said.

Planning board members expressed enthusiasm for the project.

“... I love this use on the site and I applaud this applicant and his entrepreneurship,” Brown Gill said.

Board member J.C. McKinnon smiled and said, “The things we do for our kids... Congratulations.”