Detroit filmmakers come together to open Southfield film studio

In 2019, Mike Jeffers had a vision – to open up his own film studio. 

The Detroiter has been writing, directing, or acting in local productions for more than 15 years. Jeffers made his directorial debut in 2013 with the stage play, “Homebound.” He has since gone on to direct the Tubi films, “Chocolate Kiss,” “Rotten,” and “Intimate Betrayals.” 

Six years later, Jeffers is making his vision come true with the help of other local filmmakers. 

The Collective Studios will officially open 4 p.m. Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its Southfield headquarters, 18000 West Nine Mile Road, Suite 450. The almost 12,000 square-foot space offers a variety of popular sets – a restaurant, church, hospital, courtroom and even an airport terminal and plane interior. 

For the grand opening, a DJ will be spinning tunes and guests can take studio tours. 

“In 2019, the vision was there because I knew it was something that was needed, and would definitely work,” Jeffers said about the film studio. 

The Collective Studios is a collaboration between Jeffers and 12 metro Detroit filmmakers. 

• Rockey Black 
• Janaya Black
• Tonja Ayers
• Richard Bass
• Marshalle Favors 
• Timashion Jones
• Tonja “Tete” Brown
• DeJuan Ford
• RonSher T. Brooks
• William Brooks
• Stoney Watts

The 13th member is a silent partner, Favors said. 

The studio will not only be open to filmmakers shooting a movie or TV show but also photographers and videographers, content creators as well as advertisers and marketers, said Favors, who operates the annual Trinity International Film Festival and Detroit Black Film Festival. 

The production company’s opening comes at a time where the indie film industry in metro Detroit is thriving. The Detroit Film Office granted permission for 83 productions to film in the city in 2023, according to a BridgeDetroit Freedom of Information Act request, the most recent information available. Some titles on the list included the indie action movie “Gun Play,” and the romantic comedy, “I Love You Forever.” 

“I would say that, on average, there’s a production shooting just about every single month,” Favors said. 

While Detroit’s initial independent film spark occurred during the early 2000s, the scene has grown in recent years due to many of the city’s independent films and shows landing on the free streaming service Tubi, exposing them to millions of users worldwide. 

In the last 20 years, Detroit was featured in several major motion pictures like “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “8 Mile,” “Transformers” and “It Follows.” That was back when Michigan films could receive an income tax credit used to offset the cost of production. The tax credit was eliminated in 2015.

However, as big production companies moved out, local talent started picking up the slack, and many of them are Black creators in front of and behind the camera. 

But even with the boom of activity happening in the local film industry, including more than 30 production companies in the area, it can still be difficult to find locations to shoot scenes, Bass said. The Detroit native is a director, writer and producer who has his own production company, Chosen One Productions. 

“Can we find a courthouse? Can we find a hospital?” he said. “We (Bass and his film crew) were driving out to Flint to go and film at hospitals and things. But to bring everything home for not only us to use, but for other filmmakers that probably can’t even afford to go to these other places, it was a great opportunity.” 

Building the collective 

Jones, a Detroit director and producer, said many people in the collective took part in a filmmaker cruise last March. That’s when Janaya Black brought up the idea of opening a film studio. 

“Just the idea of having our own studio was very intriguing,” Jones said. “That’s where the idea started. Then after meetings and stuff happening, in September we really kickstarted The Collective Studios project.” 

Distributor and director Rockey Black said the group was looking at a few other places in the area before it decided on the Southfield location. A friend of Brown’s gave them a tour of one of the floors in the building and Black was sold. 

“When we went up there and checked it out, it was perfect for what we needed and the rest was history,” he said. 

Bass said all 13 members of the collective put in their own money for the studio without any sponsors or crowdfunding. He declined to say how much it cost to purchase their space. 

In addition to giving filmmakers a place to create, The Collective Studios will also host filmmaking classes, Brown said. 

The collective said they are excited to see Detroit’s film scene grow and gain national recognition. Jeffers said when he attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah last week, he heard people talking about some Detroit movies.

Bass agreed, saying the D’s film industry is on people’s radar. 

“We were filming in Houston, and one of the actors from here was talking with a celebrity and he said, ‘Hey, people are watching. People are talking,’” he said. “I’m excited because we’re making some noise here and I’m tooting our own horn to say that we’re doing it. Motown had its era, the Motor City had its era. Now we’re doing something new in this era.”