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Recording company BAM Studios, a major provider of ADR to many of the network TV series and Hollywood features filming here, has opened its fifth ADR studio at Cinespace, after a summer of construction.

Fox Television announced that two of its four dramatic pilots that filmed in Chicago this winter were greenlit for series production. While not officially stated, there’s strong reason to expect new series will return to Chicago.

“That would be extraordinarily good news,” notes Chicago Film Office director Rich Moskal. “This surge of activity points to the quality of our crews, talent and facilities and Chicago’s ability to be a major player in episodic television.”

Fast-growing 321Fastdraw, having outgrown its offices and its owners eager to be back in the bustle of production, in early spring will move into new space in Cinespace’s Main Building at Rockwell and  W. 16th St.

Cinespace continues to expand — this time with the conversion of two former massive “Boss” sets into office space to accommodate the Fox TV staff moving in for the upcoming production of three Fox pilots.

“Transformers” director Michael Bay will return to Chicago later this year to produce the fifth installment of his franchise, he told WGN’s Dean Richards.  But that’s only the tip of the iceberg!

Here’s what ReelChicago learned is ahead for our production market in the foreseeable future, all headquartering and filming at Cinespace.

Chicago Deputy Mayor Steve Koch was among the speakers Thursday at a street-naming ceremony that honored the late Nikolaos “Nick” Mirkopoulos, the visionary owner of Cinespace Studios that transformed Chicago’s film industry and the studios’ North Lawndale neighborhood.

Fortunately, Cinespace is a monster-sized film studio so it can easily accommodate the hundreds of guests expected to attend GalaWeen, a bewitching costume party Halloween night, Oct. 31, 7 p.m. until midnight, to support CineCares Foundation.

Chicago’s infrastructure got another big boost with the official opening Monday of AbelCine’s new Learning Point at Cinespace — this region’s first-of-a-kind combo interactive showroom, classroom and community space.

Block parties are always fun, but when the party brings together music, movies, food and drinks for a good cause, it’s bound to be a huge success.  And that’s what the producers of CineFest Backlot Block Party are setting up Aug. 28-30 on the Cinespace Studios’ campus.   

The expansion of Michael Nehs and Jonathan Bross’ full-service Periscope Post and Audio  over a full floor at Cinespace that began in May is expected to be finished in the next 90 days.

Claire Simon Casting will be making the first major change to its business since Claire Simon opened its doors 19 years ago, by moving into what she claims will be “the Taj Mahal of casting  offices” at Cinespace.

Cinespace continues to expand its stage capacity, with four new sound stages now under construction that boost the total number of stages to 21.

“We took one big space that we had, not really a sound stage, and are in the process of constructing two stages, each 25,000-sq. ft. and two that are each 18,000-sq. ft.,” says Cinespace president Alex Pissios.

Based on the success of DePaul’s Cinema School teaming up with Cinespace for on-site stage and classroom space, the studio is moving forward with plans to open the doors of a production incubator this fall.

New York-headquartered camera sales and service provider giant AbelCine will settle in at Cinespace in mid-summer, offering a unique Learning Point for on-going educational workshops and seminars, an interactive sales showroom space for hands-on equipment evaluation, and a welcoming center for community activities.

By the time Sun-Times had headlined Gov. Bruce Rauner’s demand that Cinespace return a $10 million state grant, studio president Alex Pissios had already sent the uncashed check, plus interest, to the Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Fox Television has greenlit two dramatic pilots for production in Chicago. “Love is a Four Letter Word” and “Runner” will headquarter and shoot at Cinespace, joining Fox’ hit “Empire” and NBC Universal’s “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD.”

For the past three years, Cinespace Studios has hosted a Holiday Party, with Santa Claus in attendance, games, gifts and good things to eat, for the children in the Lawndale neighborhood where the studio is located.

PRODUCTION IS RAMPING UP as four TV shows get underway at Cinespace starting this Friday, when NBC Universal’s “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD” get underway this Friday, July 18, for seasons three and two, respectively.

Whether he was aware of it or not, Nick Mirkopoulos, the late owner of Cinespace Studios, was a proponent of Chicago’s motto, “Make no little plans.”

Thanks to his meticulous planning for the company’s future, Cinespace Chicago will seamlessly continue to host major entertainment projects – and grow to become the biggest studio complex in the world.

Phone calls and Emails of sympathy, gratitude and shock been pouring into  studio executive Alex Pissios’ office at Cinespace since the news of the death of Cinespace owner  Nick Mirkopoulos on Saturday swept film industries from Toronto to LA.

With an incentive that will reduce Cinespace Studios’ real estate taxes to further enable it to “put more money into the infrastructure,” says president Alex Pissios, the studio will complete 25 stages, one of which will a rare “water stage.”  

On Wednesday, Mayor Emanuel, a supporter of the film industry who understands its positive economic impact, proposed a property tax reduction of $3.5 million over 12 years for the studio.

IN THE SPIRIT of cross-border camaraderie, Cinespace is making its Chicago and Toronto studios available to host both Canada Day festivities for the Canadian Consulate in Chicago on July 1 and Independence Day festivities for the US Consulate in Toronto on July 3.

Besides 2013 being the year of Chicago’s major breakthrough as a favored location for Hollywood entertainment projects and a giant film spend increase pouring into the local economy — this summer also will mark the year of the biggest stage expansion ever. 

Both Cinespace Studios and Chicago Studio City are gearing up for expansion to accommodate the anticipated new business from Hollywood that’s starting to head our wave in droves.

It’s axiomatic that college grads go where the jobs are and in the film industry that points to Los Angeles. But wait!  With the announcement of a partnership between DePaul University’s cinema studios and Cinespace, graduates now may have the option of a successful entertainment film career in Chicago.

When a famous Hollywood movie star returns to his native Chicago in March, the local film industry will have its first  informal ambassador to Hollywood, to interest other Chicagoans in the movie business to come back home to work.

Actor Billy Zane –star of “Titanic” and an amazing 110 other movies and TV shows over a 28-year span – has joined Cinespace studios as executive producer.

Tremendous progress in elevating Cinespace Studios as the central core of Chicago’s film infrastructure in just 14 months, since Gov. Pat Quinn cut the studio’s opening ceremonial ribbon on the “Boss” TV series set last May.

A year after Gov. Pat Quinn led the groundbreaking ceremonies, $80 million Cinespace is starting to come together like the major Hollywood-like studio complex it promised it would be.

Gala Catering is the first L.A.-based company to announce setting up permanent shop at Cinespace, with full-scale plans for expansion ready to go. 

“With them, we are getting off to a great start in building our vision of a total, one-stop, film friendly community,” says Cinespace general manager Alex Pisseos, with more vendor move-ins to follow shortly.

Regina Taylor, the acclaimed actress/director/writer of films and stage, will be part of the Feature Film Seminar extravaganza that veteran filmmaker Nate Grant of Lake Shore Film & TV Productions has spent s

It was all about jobs.  And if the media and people assembled for the Cinespace ribbon-cutting and press conference Tuesday didn’t get it the first time, Gov. Pat Quinn made sure they did by repeating, “It’s all about the jobs, the jobs, the J-O-B-S” when questioned about the value of the Toronto-owned studio to Chicago.

Jobs, indeed, were at the heart of the $5 million Illinois Jobs Now! Capital program grant to Cinespace, of which $3 million was reportedly given to the studio prior to Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony helmed by Gov. Quinn.

A minor remodeling accident last week at Cinespace Studios blew out of control when a freelancer allegedly suspected asbestos contamination and decided to play hero and call in an EPA inspector. 

The freelancer works on the production of “Boss,” the 8-part TV series – that originally had planned to film in Pittsburgh — headquartering at Near West Side Cinespace.  The production occupies large offices on the studio’s fourth and fifth floors. 

The timing couldn’t be worse. The much-anticipated Cinespace Chicago film studio was into construction on the first phase of the soundstages when the House rushed to pass Senate Bill 4 that calls for ending Illinois’ tax incentives in five years.

The 350,000-sq. ft. soundstage is the first of the plan for be eight contiguous stages on the 48 acre former Ryerson Steel Campus between Ogden and Western Avenues on the Near Southwest Side.