Utah Film Center asks for $350,000 to finish incubator and training hub ahead of Olympics

Mariah Mellis, director of the Utah Film Center, asked the committee for a $350,000 one‑time state allocation to close a $6.5 million capital campaign and finish a film‑focused creative hub that includes coworking spaces, a 180‑seat screening room and editing suites.

"We are here today to ask for $350,000 in a one‑time allocation to help us close the gap on our $6,500,000 capital campaign of which we've already raised $3,500,000," Mellis said. She described the center’s statewide k‑12 media education, teacher professional development, youth film competition and workforce training work and tied the request to preparations for the Olympics and to building Utah’s digital creative workforce.

Brent Huberty, a local producer and tenant at the center, told the committee the incubator supports internships, trainings and job pipelines for the state’s film and digital production industries.

The request is structured as a one‑time capital allocation and will be evaluated as part of the committee’s voting packet; no vote was taken in the presentation meeting.