Story Factory Philadelphia, the woman-owned production space at 1600 N. 5th Street, says the Pennsylvania Film Office has named it a Qualified Production Facility. What this means is that a film or television production that meets the state’s requirements at a facility like this can earn a larger film tax credit, though that credit goes to the production and not to the building.
Story Factory Philadelphia Earns a State Film Designation
According to the facility, a Qualified Production Facility is a state-registered space used by film and TV productions that meets infrastructure standards covering the access door, grid load and power. The Story Factory says it is a production facility inside Philadelphia city limits that meets those criteria.
Pennsylvania’s published program sets a base credit of 25 percent on qualified production expenses in the state and adds 5 percent, for 30 percent in total, when a production meets minimum filming requirements at a Qualified Production Facility. That lines up with the “up to 30%” the Story Factory cites, so any producer weighing the room should confirm the requirements with the state before counting on the credit.
Producers have their own homework. The program covers feature films, television films, commercials, pilots and episodic series, and it requires Pennsylvania expenses to make up at least 60 percent of a film’s total production expenses. Applications are accepted no sooner than 90 days before principal photography begins, and the state reviews them quarterly.
Inside Story Factory Philadelphia: Stages, Studios and a Mural
The building is a corner block wrapped in one-of-a-kind mural art and home to Helm Creative Studio. It offers more than 12,000 square feet of creative workspace, plus soundproof recording studios, photo and video studios, and a sound stage with a sound board and sound system. Some areas have 20-foot ceilings with truss systems.
The facility’s own site lists a production day at $4,300 on weekdays and $5,000 on weekends, with bookings of up to 14 hours. Furniture, equipment access and a studio liaison are listed as part of the booking. The facility says it serves independent filmmakers, studios, local news stations and companies visiting the city, and it describes the space as a dependable, cost-effective and compliant place for productions that want to shoot within Philadelphia.
Story Factory Philadelphia and the Hollis Family
Ashlee and Elijah Hollis founded the venture in 2022 as a home for Helm Creative Studio and a place for Philadelphia creatives to work inside city limits. The building opened to art audiences in August 2023 with the CHAMELEON Art Exhibition, a group show built around Alloyius Mcilwaine and more than 30 contemporary artists.
The Story Factory also runs community programs, including a Back to School Bash, Fill the Table at Thanksgiving, Giving Christmas and a Teachers Appreciation Dinner. Ashlee Hollis, the founder and president, calls the designation an honor and says the team wanted a space where creatives find a haven. She adds that it feels especially meaningful during America 250, with filmmakers from across the country working in the city where the country began.
Story Factory Philadelphia and the Case for Local Sets
Incentives like these are part of how Philadelphia competes for productions, a fight the Greater Philadelphia Film Office has been in for years. A stage inside the city that can qualify a production for the extra 5 percent gives local crews and visiting studios one more reason to stay within city limits.
A tax credit can bring a production to a room, but it cannot decide what gets made once the cameras are rolling. Hollis says the mission is to keep “humanity at the highest-level of storytelling,” and a mural-covered corner building will be judged on that, long after the credit has done its job.
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