Sun Center Studios
Sun Center Studios is a privately held, purpose-built film and television production facility on a 33-acre campus in Aston, Pennsylvania, serving major feature films, episodic television, commercials, and live events with three sound stages, a mill, and office support space, eligible for Pennsylvania's up to 30% state film tax credit.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersAston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sun Center Studios does
Sun Center Studios is a privately held, purpose-built film and television production facility located on a 33-acre campus at 250 N Commerce Dr in Aston, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles south of Philadelphia International Airport and 19 miles south of Center City Philadelphia. Since opening in 2011 as Pennsylvania's first new construction, purpose-built sound stage facility, the company has hosted a roster of major feature films (Creed, Creed II, Glass, Split, 21 Bridges, The Upside, The Visit, After Earth), episodic television (HBO's Mare of Easttown, Apple TV+'s Servant and Dope Thief, AMC's Dispatches from Elsewhere, Netflix's Hustle and The Untouchables), commercials (Sheetz, Mountain Dew, Powerade, Arby's, Under Armour, Pennsylvania Lottery, NBC 10), music videos, concert tour rehearsals, esports tournaments, and live events.
The underlying product is physical production infrastructure: three purpose-built sound stages (approximately 19,220-19,725 sq ft each, with Stage 2 offering 9,000A 3-phase power and NC-16 soundproofing and Stage 3 offering 1,800A 3-phase power and NC-32 soundproofing), a 60,000 sq ft mill for set construction, over 38,000 sq ft of office support space with high-speed Wi-Fi, gigabit ethernet, and fiber coverage, and a 250 kWp rooftop solar array. The campus is secured with access control, perimeter cameras, and ample parking on a 33-acre site including 8 acres of woods.
The business operates a direct B2B enterprise sales motion: all studio inquiries are submitted via email to [email protected] and quoted on a custom basis with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue derives from sound stage rental (one-time license) and ancillary production facility services including office and mill space. Qualifying productions are eligible for Pennsylvania's up to 30% state film tax credit, a significant financial incentive for production companies. The company appears to be founder-owned or privately held with 1-10 employees, no disclosed parent company, and no recorded funding rounds, operating as an asset-heavy, owner-operated regional production hub with a curated vendor ecosystem (lighting, grip, catering, transportation, furniture) and an eight-property hotel partner program supporting extended-stay production crew.
Sun Center Studios firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sun Center Studios
- Legal name
- SunCenter Studios
- Website
- https://suncenterstudios.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sun Center Studios is a privately held, purpose-built film and television production facility on a 33-acre campus in Aston, Pennsylvania, serving major feature films, episodic television, commercials, and live events with three sound stages, a mill, and office support space, eligible for Pennsylvania's up to 30% state film tax credit.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sun Center Studios industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Production Facilities
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Studio Campus / Production Facility Operators (MPADAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Soundstage & Stage Rental (Film/TV) (MPADAIAA)
Keywords
Where Sun Center Studios is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sun Center Studios business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel
Revenue model
- Sound Stage Rental: Rental of purpose-built sound stages (Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3) and support spaces (Mill, Offices) to film, television, and media production companies.
- Production Facility Services: Additional revenue from office support spaces, mill space, and campus amenities for productions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Sun Center Studios product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sun Center Studios rents purpose-built sound stages, a 60,000 sq ft set construction mill, and over 38,000 sq ft of office support space to film, television, and commercial production companies. The 33-acre campus in Aston, Pennsylvania serves feature films, episodic series, commercials, music videos, concert tour rehearsals, and live events, with qualifying productions eligible for up to a 30% Pennsylvania state tax credit.
Product overview
SunCenter Studios is Pennsylvania's premier film and television production facility operating as a unified campus with three purpose-built sound stages (Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3), a 60,000 sq ft mill for set construction, and over 38,000 sq ft of office support space. The 33-acre campus includes sustainable infrastructure with a 250 kWp solar array. Productions benefit from vendor partnerships for equipment, catering, and furniture rental, plus a hotel partnership program for crew accommodations. The facility's proximity to Philadelphia International Airport and I-95, combined with Pennsylvania's up to 30% film tax credit for qualifying productions, positions it as a regional production hub for feature films, episodic television, commercials, music videos, concert rehearsals, esports tournaments, and live events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Stage 1
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% Pennsylvania state tax credit available for qualifying productions
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sun Center Studios
Customer profileNamed customers27 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Sun Center Studios technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Sun Center Studios partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
27 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Korman LivingminorHotel partner offering accommodations for productions staying near the studio facility. Provides extended stay options for cast and crew.
- IHG StaybridgeminorHotel partner providing extended stay accommodations for production company personnel and cast/crew.
- ROOSTminorBoutique extended stay hotel partner offering accommodations for production stays.
- Hampton Inn & Suites Philadelphia MediaminorHilton brand hotel partner providing standard and suite accommodations for productions.
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Glen Mills Chadds FordminorExtended stay hotel partner for longer production schedules.
- Holiday Inn DrexelbrookminorIHG hotel partner offering accommodations with event and catering facilities.
- Gifford-Risley HouseminorHistoric hotel partner offering unique accommodations for productions.
- Hotel Indigo West ChesterminorIHG boutique hotel partner for production accommodations.
- CineleaseminorLighting and grip equipment vendor providing professional production equipment.
- Light & GripminorLighting and grip equipment vendor for production support.
- Sunbelt RentalsminorEquipment rental partner providing production equipment and supplies.
- Pinpoint LightingminorProfessional lighting equipment and services vendor.
- Expressway CineminorFilm and video equipment vendor with Philadelphia location.
- Proof Productions IncminorRigging equipment and services vendor for production support.
- EnterpriseminorCar rental services for production company transportation needs.
- Heavy LiftminorHeavy equipment and transportation services for production logistics.
- The Drexelbrook CateringminorCatering and events vendor providing on-set food services.
- Tasty Table CateringminorCatering services for production sets and events.
- Di Bruno BrosminorPremium catering and specialty food services vendor.
- Plum CaterersminorFull-service catering vendor for productions.
- Everybody EatsminorPhiladelphia-based catering vendor for production sets.
- Jerry's KitchenminorOn-set catering services vendor.
- Many Hands CoffeeminorCoffee services vendor for on-set and office refreshments.
- Sovana Catering and EventsminorCatering and events vendor offering social catering services.
- Cort FurnitureminorFurniture rental services for office and set dressing.
- One Source RefreshmentminorRefreshment and beverage services for offices and sets.
- ARC Document SolutionsminorDocument solutions and printing services for production documentation needs.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sun Center Studios competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cinecittà Studios: Cinecittà is one of the world's largest historic studio complexes, offering multiple sound stages, production support, and post-production facilities in Rome. While international, it competes for the same Hollywood tent-pole productions evaluating global studio options, and serves as a benchmark for facility monetization and service bundling.
- Pinewood Studios (UK): Pinewood Studios in the UK is the global benchmark for soundstage facility operations, hosting James Bond, Marvel, and Star Wars productions. While UK-based, its Pinewood Atlanta brand competes head-to-head with SunCenter, and Pinewood sets the global standard for premium soundstage pricing, amenitization, and tenant relationships.
- Lionsgate Studios Newark: Lionsgate's Newark, NJ studio is a recently opened large-scale production campus on the east coast targeting the same feature film, episodic TV, and commercial customer base as SunCenter, including NJ's film tax incentive. As a studio-affiliated facility with deep corporate backing, it represents a well-capitalized competitor in SunCenter's regional market.
Direct peers
- EUE/Screen Gems Studios: EUE/Screen Gems operates multiple purpose-built studio facilities on the US east coast (including Wilmington, NC, and Atlanta, GA), directly competing with SunCenter for productions drawn to east coast tax incentive states. Its NC and GA operations are particularly direct competitors to PA's incentive package.
- Kaufman Astoria Studios: Kaufman Astoria Studios is a long-established New York City production facility with multiple sound stages and support spaces serving film, television, and commercial clients. It competes directly with SunCenter for northeast-based productions evaluating NY-area alternatives, particularly productions eligible for the NY State film tax credit.
- Steiner Studios: Steiner Studios operates a large multi-stage production campus at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, serving the same east coast feature film and episodic TV market as SunCenter Studios. Both compete for productions drawn to the NYC metro / northeast corridor, and both offer purpose-built sound stages with production support infrastructure and proximity to major transit hubs.
- Radford Studio Center: Radford Studio Center is a historic multi-stage studio campus in Studio City, California, serving the Los Angeles production ecosystem. While geographically separate, it competes for tent-pole feature and episodic work that could alternatively be filmed at SunCenter, particularly productions weighing PA's 30% tax credit against LA's premium infrastructure base.
- Trilith Studios (Pinewood Atlanta): Trilith Studios is a 935-acre purpose-built production campus in Fayette County, Georgia, attached to the Pinewood global studio brand. It offers similar multi-stage, mill, and office-support infrastructure as SunCenter, and competes for US productions primarily through Georgia's 30% film tax credit — the closest direct competitor on the tax-incentive dimension.
- Cinespace Studios: Cinespace operates large multi-stage studio campuses in Chicago and Toronto, hosting feature films and episodic TV with comparable sound stage and production support infrastructure to SunCenter. It targets the same North American film/TV production customer base and competes on regional tax credits and proximity to major markets.
Others
- Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation: While not a direct studio competitor, the Brooklyn Navy Yard's broader real estate ecosystem hosts production-adjacent businesses and is sometimes evaluated alongside Steiner Studios by productions scouting the northeast corridor. It serves as a relevant geographic benchmark for northeast production real estate values relevant to SunCenter.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sun Center Studios social profiles
Digital presenceSun Center Studios financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sun Center Studios leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sun Center Studios funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sun Center Studios M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sun Center Studios
What does Sun Center Studios do?
Sun Center Studios rents purpose-built sound stages, a 60,000 sq ft set construction mill, and over 38,000 sq ft of office support space to film, television, and commercial production companies. The 33-acre campus in Aston, Pennsylvania serves feature films, episodic series, commercials, music videos, concert tour rehearsals, and live events, with qualifying productions eligible for up to a 30% Pennsylvania state tax credit.
Is Sun Center Studios a public or private company?
Sun Center Studios is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sun Center Studios founded?
Sun Center Studios was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sun Center Studios based?
Sun Center Studios is headquartered in Aston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sun Center Studios make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Sound Stage Rental is the primary driver. The others are production Facility Services.
Who are Sun Center Studios's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Cinecittà Studios, Pinewood Studios (UK) and Lionsgate Studios Newark. Direct peers are EUE/Screen Gems Studios, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Steiner Studios, Radford Studio Center, Trilith Studios (Pinewood Atlanta) and Cinespace Studios. Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation is listed as an others.
Does Sun Center Studios have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sun Center Studios.
What industry is Sun Center Studios in?
Sun Center Studios's product category is Film Production Facilities. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAIAC, Studio Campus / Production Facility Operators, with a secondary code of MPADAIAA, Soundstage & Stage Rental (Film/TV). Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.