Harbor Island Warehouse Could Spur Hollywood's King Co. Interest

SEATTLE, WA — The site of a former flour mill on Harbor Island has been transformed into a 117,000-square foot sound stage that local officials will help to revitalize King County’s film production business and bring television shows and films set in Seattle back to the region.

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced over the weekend that an episodic television show is set to begin production work this week at the former Fisher Flour Mill. Officials are not announcing what is being filmed in the space but said that the Hollywood production company will use the space as a sound stage and will hire hundreds of local crew members for the project.

The former Fisher Flour Mill property was purchased by King County 18 years ago and the county planned to use the property possibly to ship solid waste. But after spending $1.5 million to rewire and build sound-proof walls inside the property, local officials are hoping the space will be used by television and film production companies. The goal, Constantine said, is again make King County an attractive landing spot for entertainment executives.

Constantine in 2019 called for greater support for the local film production industry and reduced film permit fees and timelines on King County property as part of the Creative Economy Initiative. The county’s Film Advisory Board began meeting at the time to work with industry insiders to attempt to increase King County’s attractiveness to entertainment executives and put the county on the same level as other Pacific Northwest filming destinations like Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia.

That brought the former Fisher Flour Mill into play as the condition of the property’s warehouse space, the height of the ceilings, and the building’s structural integrity make it a perfect fit for production projects. Now, officials said that the goal of King County Harbor Island Studios is to create the infrastructure needed to land a wide variety of projects – from feature films to commercials – which pay union wages to carpenters, electricians, prop masters, costume designers, and other trades.

“We transformed this vast warehouse into a creative space with stages, sets, and shops to put hundreds of people to work in good, union jobs making films right here in King County,” Constantine said in a news release. “This is about making a smart public investment to help this creative industry grow and thrive here in King County. We don't want Vancouver or Portland - or Atlanta - to keep serving as Seattle’s stand-in. We’re ready to spotlight the amazing talent of our region.”

The most recent television show to film in Washington was “Northern Exposure”, which filmed in Redmond and filmed six seasons of the show beginning in 1990. The project generated more than $50 million in in-state revenue for each of the six seasons before the production of the show ended in 1995.

Several films have been shot in the region as well with the most recent project coming in 2016, when “Captain Fantastic” was shot in King County. The Seattle Times has reported that Steven Soderbergh will be filming his next project, a thriller called “KIMI,” in the area beginning in May, county officials said.