Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined hundreds of filmmakers, musicians, entrepreneurs and an A-list of supporters to celebrate last night’s launch of The Hangar — a new film studio on Chicago’s northwest side.
The 6,500-sq. ft. facility, located within the block long Fort Knox Studios band and rehearsal space in Portage Park, is the latest addition to the ICON World Ensemble of Companies, a collection of communications start-ups housed within the 160,000 sq.-ft. former manufacturing space.
Together with music / film incubator 2112, audio facility Icon Pro Studios & Rehearsal, equipment specialist Command Performance & Repair, and Fort Knox, The Hangar reinforces the location’s reputation as one of the most comprehensive audiovisual collectives in the country.
“In many ways, The Hangar is the critical jewel in the crown for Fort Knox / 2112,” explains co-founder / owner Kent Nielsen. “Having a turnkey, 6,500 sq.-ft. production space under one roof, it allows for both tenants and outside folks to create content next to where they work and alongside a lot of vendors. This also bodes well for production during winter weather: walk across the hall.”
Coinciding with the first anniversary of sibling company 2112 and fueled by the fruits of beverage sponsors Tequila El Nacimiento, Burnt City Brewing and Culitos Wine, the launch included demonstrations and presentations from scores of vendors that reside within the facility.
Among them was Flow Motion, a media company that filmed guests showering themselves with handfuls of glitter in super slow motion. Besides presenting the footage to the freshly be-sparkled attendees in real time, Flow Motion plans to cut and post the videos to a number of social media sites in about a week.
Other vendors included record labels, catering companies, and, according to 2112 director Scott Fetters, “basically everything a filmmaker could need to finish a project.”
The climax of the evening began with the music video “Weekend” by Louis The Child & Icona Pop, a collaboration between the Chicago-based production team that creates much of its magic within Fort Knox Studios and a Swedish pop vocal duo.
To date, the video has scored nearly 200,000 YouTube views and helped Louis The Child earn a spot on this year’s Lollapalooza lineup.
It was followed by a live DJ set performed on a fabulous soundstage constructed by the combined efforts of AIS Audio Integration Systems, Ayre Productions, and Prosoure/Mic Check, three companies that make their homes in the same address as The Hangar.
