Studio Project Could Bring More ‘Action’ to West Valley

The Love Boat, which sails the tropical seas under fluffy clouds in its latest TV revival, in real life is docked on Variel Avenue in Canoga Park.

And though the set for the TV series is not actually as massive as an ocean liner, it’s still causing a space crunch, taking up four sound stages. That has Ray-Art Studios, the biggest in the West Valley, planning a $10-million expansion that will double its number of sound stages and add extra amenities.

Ray-Art’s owners want to create the West Valley’s first full-service independent production studio, a place where producers can make TV shows start to finish--casting, filming, screening, mixing, editing and even feeding employees--without leaving the premises.

“We’re trying to make it one-stop shopping,” said owner Bob Papazian. “The whole idea is to bring as many services under one roof so the producers don’t have to drive around town and can be more efficient.”

Industry experts say now is a good time to invest in sound stages, especially those that cater to television production. Even though major studios like Disney and Paramount are trimming the number of feature films made each year, the proliferation of cable channels and growing international outlets are fueling a production boom in TV. As a result, space has been getting tight at the 375 sound stages in the L.A.-area, and demand should remain high as long as the national economy keeps chugging, experts say.

Canoga Park, though not the most obvious spot, might not be a bad place for a growing studio. It’s not under a noisy flight path (unlike the Burbank studios located near the airport) and traffic is manageable. Over the years, the entertainment industry has been creeping westward across the Valley, from Burbank to Studio City to Encino, and some observers believe Ray-Art could attract like-minded businesses.

“I look at Ray-Art as Hollywood’s first major foothold in the West Valley, a magnet that can draw other entertainment companies out west,” said City Councilwoman Laura Chick, whose district includes the West Valley. “And studios bring good-paying jobs, the kind I want in my district.”

Chick’s staff has been helping Ray-Art prepare for zoning hearings and permit requests. Ray-Art plans to break ground on three new sound stages by July and convert a workshop into another, to create a total of eight stages. The new stages will be built on what is now a parking lot behind the Variel Avenue studio, just north of Warner Center.

Papazian, a television producer, and partner James Hirsch, also a TV producer and screenwriter (credits between them include “The Day After” and “Inherit the Wind”), bought the 189,000-square-foot facility in 1997. They divided the building--once a Boeing plant and more recently a shampoo factory--into four sound stages, a workshop and offices.

Papazian and Hirsch are trying to fill a narrow niche in the independent production market. They’re appealing to producers who don’t have their own facilities and want something between a high-end sound stage on the lot of a major studio, which can cost up to $4,000 per day, and the nuts-and-bolts warehouse which is a lot cheaper but often not soundproofed or climate-controlled.

So far, their strategy has worked. At Ray-Art, Fox TV produced “Nothing Sacred” and a canceled series called “413 Hope Street.” Last year producers on “The Negotiator” rented space to finish post-production.

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Now, “The Love Boat,” which years ago was shot in part aboard a real cruise ship, is filmed primarily in the converted warehouses at Ray-Art. The deck stage has a working Jacuzzi, a 6-foot-deep swimming pool, plastic furniture and beach toys, all in front of a banner of a cloud-flecked sky.

Because “The Love Boat” ties up all the sound stages, the studio has had to turn down several other TV series, said Shawn Papazian, the owner’s son.

Ray-Art is definitely one of those family-run, tightly-run businesses. Shawn Papazian, 26, is the director of the facility. Sandy Papazian, Bob’s wife, is an administrator (there are four other full-time employees).

The studio was named after the partners’ deceased fathers, Ray and Art. The commissary, opened as part of the effort to provide more services, is called Joey’s Grill, after the other son of Bob and Sandy Papazian.

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Papazian and Hirsch are among the latest investors searching for gold in sound stages. Last year Manhattan Beach Studios, partly financed by Roy Disney, opened with 11 new sound stages. Last week, a Los Angeles city panel approved a plan to build a $750-million, 10-sound-stage-facility in North Hollywood. That would put the number of sound stages in the Valley near 200.

Industry experts are confident that there is plenty of demand to soak up the growing supply. On-location filming in Los Angeles may have dipped last year, but indoor shooting continued strong, said Bill Allen, president of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, an umbrella organization of the Valley business community.

Overseas factors played a large role. Many countries have privatized television stations and expanded cable TV, creating more opportunities for American producers and increasing the likelihood an American TV show will be profitable.

“There continues to be an increasing demand for original production and the international market is getting stronger every day,” Allen said.

Allen--whose job, admittedly is to promote Valley businesses--said Ray-Art has what it takes to capitalize on the production boom.

“Those guys at Ray-Art are independent TV producers who know exactly what TV producers need in a facility. They are filling a unique niche,” he said. “I think it’s going to work.”