Independent film company opens new facility in Wilmington
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — A new facility for an independent film company has opened in Wilmington.
Monty Hobbs, a longtime Wilmington resident, is the executive producer and co-founder of Just Do Good Entertainment.
“Wilmington has always delivered and so my love for this town, this city, this county is so deep,” Hobbs said.
Just Do GOOD Entertainment recently produced “Air Angels: Flight Helene,” a documentary highlighting volunteer pilots who helped deliver aid to western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. The film was shot locally and aired on WWAY in February.
“It was received so well that the city of Fayetteville named a day after that following the premiere we had,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs is building on momentum from other independent film projects, including “Boatlift 911,” produced by Suzanne DeLaurentiis and filmed on the Cape Fear River.
After a lengthy career in the film industry, Hobbs is launching a new venture out of a 2,200-square-foot space at the Wilmington Eastwood Business Park. The project includes the Dirty Laundry Picture Company, a creator-led hybrid studio focused on investigative and mainstream content.
“We want to be more investigative and we want to more mainstream, so we come up with the Dirty Laundry Picture Company and we like to say ‘every town has a little dirty, dirt,’” Hobbs said.
The studio aims to produce and attract smaller independent films, offering an alternative to larger sound stages such as Cinespace Studios and Dark Horse Stages, which have said they are currently struggling to attract projects.
“The industry right now, is it done? No. Is it changing? Yes. And for anybody to say that they know what’s going to happen next is silly,” he said.
Hobbs said large budgets are no longer necessary to create content that can reach wide audiences through streaming and social media platforms.
“The days of having an okay movie make it to a theater they are over and I’ll make that argument forever because of the budget constraints but independent film-making does have a rise because they can get distribution,” Hobbs said.
Many local filmmakers are advocating for a federal film incentive in addition to existing state-level incentives to attract more projects. Hobbs, however, said a federal incentive is not practical.
“They should localized to give smaller film makers a chance because they can reach millions also,” he said.
Although the company has been in its new space for about three weeks, Hobbs said the mission remains the same.
“It’s to give filmmakers a home, to come and say it is possible but the long term vision is to keep messaging Just Do GOOD and DLPC main core, which is kindness if everywhere, if you just look,” Hobbs said.
Click here for more information about DLPC’s newest project “Secret’s of Sampson,” shot in Sampson County.
