Back in 2012, FARRAGUT FILMS moved their TOS set recreations to a new, larger facility in Kingsland, GA and expanded the starship interiors to include nearly everything that existed on the Paramount backlot during the 1960s—eventually adding a two-story Engineering set, as well. In addition to STARSHIP FARRAGUT, a second series, STAR TREK CONTINUES, began filming there, ultimately taking over exclusive use of the entire studio until shooting wrapped in 2017.
At that time, the sets were owned in their entirety by STC showrunner VIC MIGNOGNA. But he was still paying thousands of dollars a month in rent out of pocket to keep the amazing TOS sets from being tossed into the nearest dumpster. In early 2018, however, Vic sold the sets to Boca Raton, FL resident RAY TESI, who took over the Kingsland facility, assumed responsibility for the rent, and shortly thereafter renamed STAGE 9 STUDIOS to NEUTRAL ZONE STUDIOS.
Ray also proceeded to open the sets up to filming by any fan production willing to pay a nominal daily rental fee to cover basic expenses like electricity. Since then, a parade of fan films and series have been shot there, including DREADNOUGHT DOMINION, AVALON UNIVERSE, CONSTAR, RED SHIRT DIARIES, TO HAVE BOLDLY GONE, LET OLD WRINKLES COME, and a host of other projects. Ray has even produced his own fanthology series, TALES FROM THE NEUTRAL ZONE, which has released seven fan films so far.
Over the weekend of July 6-7, Neutral Zone Studios hosted its final shoot in Kingsland, GA with JOSHUA IRWIN directing the latest installment of Tales from the Neutral Zone, an episode titled HISTORY NEVER FORGETS. And starting this past weekend, the TOS sets have started to be disassembled. What’s going on, you ask? I reached out to owner Ray Tesi, but he’s actually inundated right now with the logistics of managing volunteers and equipment to deal with the studio. However, Ray told me to direct my questions to Joshua, so without further ado….
JONATHAN – Let’s start out with a comment from that Saucy-Aussie, MATT MILLER, who posted the following to Facebook on the final day of filming at Neutral Zone Studios…
So obviously there’s some uncertainty/confusion out there. Is this really the end of the line for NZS, or are the sets simply being moved to a new location?
JOSH – My understanding is that they’re being moved to a new location. That’s what Ray has announced publicly, and he’s assured everyone that the good times will continue.
And I’d like to take a moment to comment about what Matt Miller said. I read that post before my long drive from Kingsland back to Arkansas, and it stuck with me the whole way as an extremely disgusting and hurtful thing to say. We’re not talking about just Ray Tesi or Vic Mignogna. I was thinking about all of the normal, everyday Star Trek fans who have either volunteered there, acted there, or made films there. Normal, good, kind-hearted people. Those were the people who were the most upset about the uncertainty surrounding the entire situation.
This past weekend was hard. We had a good time shooting, but it was difficult. For everyone. And there were people who had volunteered at that studio from the beginning there who were very sad that it was going to be the last time in Kingsland. And even if it does move somewhere else and reopen, it’s never gonna be the same. Kingsland’s a very special town, and there are some very special memories that have been made there and in that building. And there were points during this past weekend when some of those volunteers, when no one was looking, cried on my shoulder a little bit. And it was hard to watch people feel that way.
So to see someone rejoice in the possible destruction of the studio, I think that’s a very self-evident reflection of that person’s character or, more accurately, lack of character.
JONATHAN – I totally agree, as I’m sure most people would. But staying with those who are rooting against NZS (which, honestly, makes no sense to me whatsoever), another detractor, KASEY SHAFSKY, posted a series of “gotcha” questions to Ray on the Axamonitor Facebook group. But frankly, they were still decent questions, so I’m gonna “borrow” them. The first thing Kasey wants to know is: “Why the secrecy about tearing apart the sets and still not having a confirmed new location to reassemble them?”
JOSH – Well, I’m not sure Ray can comment on where the studio is going until he actually knows where it’s going.
JONATHAN – So Ray doesn’t have a new location yet?
JOSH – No, because it’s not easy to find the perfect building for that many standing sets. It’s not something you can do in a day…or a week…or even a month. You’ve got to find a place that’s large enough but not so large that you’re paying for space you’re not using. You need to find a place with air conditioning, enough electrical power available, in a good and safe location…there are all kinds of factors, I would imagine. And then, of course, you have to negotiate a fair number for rent or a lease that’s affordable over the long-term. It’s definitely a long and involved process.
JONATHAN – So is Ray still looking around all over the place, or has he at least narrowed it down to a limited number of possible locations?
JOSH – I think he has a few really good candidates at this point, and he’s hoping to relocate to somewhere in central Florida.
JONATHAN – Why so far away from the previous studio location in Kingsland, GA?
JOSH – Y’know, Ray has spent six years driving more than five hours each way between his home in Boca Raton, FL and the sets in Kingsland. And he’s not getting any younger is what he’d probably say. So he’d prefer a location that’s closer to his home in Boca.
JONATHAN – Fair enough. As we say in Star Trek: captain’s prerogative—since he does own the sets.
JOSH – Yeah.
JONATHAN – All right. Kasey’s next question is: “Do you have the funds for proper transportation and then storage? Like in a temperature controlled storage facility?”
JOSH – I doubt Ray would attempt to move if he didn’t have the funds to do it, right?
JONATHAN – Undoubtedly. But what about storing the sets in a temperature controlled facility?
JOSH – Those sets have been in the same building that doesn’t have temperature or humidity controls for twelve years, and they’re in great shape. What difference does it make if he keeps them in the same place, only disassembled? And honestly, I think that breaking them down this early is a smart idea because they’ll be ready for go when the time comes. It’s not like any more fan films were going to be shot there over the next few months anyway. Production always stops over the summer because the building has no A/C and gets way too hot to film there.
JONATHAN – So does Ray have any set deadline that he has to move out by?
JOSH – My understanding is that there is no specific date when he has to vacate. The landlord is being very gracious and accommodating about the entire situation.
JONATHAN – That brings up a question that a lot of people are wondering about. Assuming that Ray has such a good relationship with the landlord, why move out at all? Does it have anything to do with the mold that was found there last year?
JOSH – No, the mold was cleaned out last year by Ray and his people. The contaminated wall was removed and replaced, and it hasn’t been a problem since.
As I understand it, when Ray bought the sets from Vic, Ray inherited the location of those sets within that building. There are two spaces in that building. For the vast majority of the time that Ray has owned those sets, the other side of the building was occupied by an egg roll manufacturer, and they were primarily the source of the mold issue…as you reported previously.
JONATHAN – Yes, the egg roll people apparently used a power-hose to clean the floor of leftover food remnants, and there wasn’t proper drainage for the water to flow out and dry.
JOSH – Correct. When the egg roll company moved out, it caused a financial issue for the landlord, who is still paying a mortgage on the entire building. If half the building is vacant and not generating rent, he’s losing money. Ray was looking into the possibility of expanding into the newly-available space, but it would have cost him way too much in monthly rent.
Enter: SEAN PATRICK KENNEDY, a friend of mine who has been a part of a number of fan films I’ve done. Sean lives in Florida, and he had the idea to open an unrelated business on the other side of the building in order to help Ray support both the landlord and, therefore, the continued presence of Neutral Zone Studios in the building.
JONATHAN – And I’m guessing that ended up not working out as planned?
JOSH – Pretty much. When Sean did a walk-through of the other side of the building, he and the landlord discovered a leak in the roof that made the whole space unusable. It had to be repaired or replaced or something, but the cost was prohibitive. The landlord couldn’t afford the fix, and Sean wasn’t willing to pay for it either because it was so expensive.
JONATHAN – Yeesh!
JOSH – So the situation of not being able to find a new tenant forced the landlord into deciding to simply sell the entire building. So Ray was going to need to move out no matter what. That was a couple of months ago. Now, Ray did try very, very hard to keep the studio in Kingsland, for the sake of the volunteers and the people who have always been there. But it just didn’t work out.
JONATHAN – And Kasey’s final “gotcha” question was: “Do you have a proper lift and safety equipment to take out the engineering ceiling pieces?”
JOSH – Well, I don’t see how they’re gonna move it if they don’t. What I can tell you is that the person who is in charge of the process of dismantling, moving, and getting the sets back up is one of the original people who built them. He has the confidence of everyone involved and even certain members of the Farragut team who were also involved in the original build.
These guys like Matt Miller and Kasey Shafsky like to pop off like they know what’s going on over there, but they have no idea. Matt Miller has never stepped foot in Neutral Zone Studios. Kasey Shafsky was a part of the first two or three STC episodes ten years ago and was not invited back. Maybe he’s bitter. Maybe they both are.
Frankly, it was the same thing last year when they were talking about the mold shutting down the studio forever. They were saying, “Oh, they don’t have the proper equipment or the proper people.” Those guys had no idea who was doing what. The mold’s been gone for nearly a year now. The studio kept running the entire time. They have no idea what they’re talking about. They aren’t there. I am.
JONATHAN – Excellent point. Now let’s move on to the weekend of the final shoot. What were you filming?
Next time, Josh talks about the final shoot in Kingsland. What fan film were they shooting? How many people were there? What was the mood like on set? And if it’s too hot to film inside the studio during the summer, then how were they able to do it? Find out tomorrow!
PLEASE NOTE: One sentence of Josh’s interview was included by mistake: “Kasey Shafsky was a part of the first two or three STC episodes ten years ago and was not invited back.” This was unconfirmed information and said off-the-record. Josh and I have apologized publicly to Kasey in this linked blog.
I’ll be honest- I love Kingsland, and the idea of central Florida scares me because hurricanes hit much harder there than in Georgia. But still, I hope Ray finds the right place to keep the dream going!
Hurricane damage tends to be worst along the coastal areas. That’s why places that are inland, like Disney World in Orlando, seldom report massive hurricane damage.
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I appreciate the update. While I think it’s important to consider all sources for any story, and I do, I was pretty confident that there was a lot of guff associated with this one and that neither of you have anything to gain by spinning this in any way other than the truth.
One thing I read elsewhere was a comment of why is it being claimed that it’s such an involved process to dismantle these sets and that they were designed to come apart easily. I’m assuming that, yes, sections can be moved for reconfiguring a scene but that’s different situation to packing them away for movement on a truck where every cubic foot counts.
Also, I remember years back seeing on Youtube that when engineering was being built those ceiling pieces you refer to are some sort of clever lightweight foam construction. It was a clever idea and looks great. Yes, they will require somethign to bring them down in a controlled manner but they are no way as heavy as they first appear. And, as you say, if the guy who oversaw building the sets is involved then they are clearly in safe hands.
All in all, I can only wish all involved well. They are not doing anyone any harm by pursuing a hobby that can, incidently, bring joy to thousands upon thousands of people outside their orbit. It beggars belief that anyone can have an issue with this.
It is a VERY involved process to disassemble those sets without damaging them, Alastair. I was there when the Ares bridge set and captain’s quarters were broken down and prepared for moving across country. That was only two unfinished sets, and it was a monster task. I can only imagine the challenges of dealing with the much greater number of completed sets at Neutral Zone.
I’ve visited the Nuetral Zone Studios 4 times as a guest. Had a great expirience each time. Especially Ray and Vic, both were gracious hosts. I do hope they make the move further south. It would make it easier for my daughter and I because I’m 2 cities south of Ray.