Sterling Cleaners Inc. in the working-class West End of Providence might feel like a world away from the glitz of Hollywood, but it’s closer than you might think.
Sterling Cleaners is situated in the shadow of the massive Cranston Street Armory, in some ways a fortunate location for owner John Faella. That’s because the armory’s cavernous interior has become a popular place for well-financed TV and film productions to use as a sound stage in recent years.
That means when the filming crews need heaps of costumes cleaned or even repaired, they
walk across the street to Faella, sometimes as often as five days a week. For Sterling Cleaners, that can bring in an additional $5,000 to $7,000 with each production, according to Faella.
“We’ve been here for a long time, so it’s nice to see the armory get the local use,” he said. “It’s great for the neighborhood.”
And Sterling Cleaners isn’t the only one. Small businesses across the state say they see a boost when TV shows and movies are filmed in Rhode Island, sometimes bringing tons of equipment, hundreds of crew members and big budgets.
For example, the cast, crew and production teams for season one of the HBO drama “The Gilded Age” – which was filmed in early 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – worked with 500 local businesses and helped create 1,200 jobs, says Steven Feinberg, executive director of the R.I. Film & Television Office.
This brought much-needed dollars to the community that is heavily dependent on tourism and kept all kinds of local businesses busy, such as hotels, catering firms, cleaning companies and hairdressers.
“They really were keeping us alive,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO and executive director of The Preservation Society of Newport County.
It remains to be seen what effect the latest production to visit Rhode Island will have. This one involves notable director M. Night Shyamalan and high-powered star actor Jake Gyllenhaal and is reportedly scheduled to begin filming in June. Crews will be using the Cranston Street Armory, among other locations.
The armory was also used by big productions such as the yet-to-be-released “Ella McKay” in 2024 and “Hocus Pocus 2” in 2021.
State leaders, including Gov. Daniel J. McKee, say films like these help the state’s economy.
“It’s great to see a new production that showcases our beautiful Ocean State. With our unique landscape and talented local artists, Rhode Island is an ideal location to film a motion picture or television series,” McKee said in a statement when the Shyamalan project was announced in April. “Every time a production shoots here we see a positive impact on our local businesses. This is the type of energy that keeps moving our economy forward.”
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PRIME VIEWING: Residents look on as a production crew works on Clarke Street in Newport during the filming of the HBO series “The Gilded Age” in May 2021.
PBN PHOTO/ANNE EWING[/caption]
Others aren’t so sure of the benefits.
Rhode Island’s Motion Picture Production Tax Credit, which offers production companies a 30% transferable tax credit on state-certified filming costs incurred in the state, has spurred debate since it was established in 2005.
Some critics have argued that the credits yield a poor return on investment and create jobs that aren’t necessarily high-paying and long-lasting.
Feinberg insists the tax credits are worth it, pointing to studies indicating that for every $1 in tax credits given to filming companies, it generates $5.44 in economic activity for the state.
“It’s cultural and economical,” Feinberg said.
And the indirect benefits are numerous, according to some officials.
In Newport, tourism leaders say the series “The Gilded Age” – which HBO renewed for a third season in December – has served as sort of a marketing campaign for the city, boosting interest in the sprawling mansions along Bellevue Avenue that were built by America’s wealthiest families in the late 19th century.
Most of those mansions are now owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County and serve as attractions open to visitors. Much of the filming of “The Gilded Age” is done on location along Bellevue Avenue.
In fact, when the second season of the show was airing between October and December 2023, there were 337,000 more visitors to the preservation society’s website. In 2024, mansion tours jumped to 871,600 from 798,000 a year earlier after a special tour was developed to show visitors shooting locations.
“To be on a TV show week after week – that’s great,” Coxe said. “We couldn’t pay for that marketing if we wanted to.”
Ann Mulhall has seen benefits, too. The owner of Rhode Island-based LDI Casting has been retained to find actors to fill small roles in numerous films, and was involved in casting three seasons of the Showtime TV production of “Brotherhood.”
Usually, producers like to use the local talent pool for background actors and smaller roles, as it’s cheaper and they can add a more local flavor to the show, she says.
She also offers audition coaching, so even if LDI isn’t hired for a project, Mulhall’s business still gets busier when there’s filming in the state depending on how many roles are open.
“The trickledown is beyond hotels and restaurants – businesses boom,” Mulhall said.
Patricia Zacks, owner of the independent camera shop The Camera Werks in Providence, remembers crew members from the 2007 film “Dan in Real Life” asking for bags with the business’s logo. The crew had asked several local businesses in the area for items with their brand or logos to include in the film to make it seem more authentic.
While they don’t always identify themselves, Zacks notices familiar faces come through her store for camera repairs or to purchase parts when there are movies or TV productions filming in Providence. After the films and TV shows are released, tourists follow, looking to explore the locations of scenes.
“The film industry coming to Rhode Island and much of Providence is always really exciting,” Zacks said.
