The Light with Raymond Tyler
The 550,000-square-foot building that juts out into the ocean and crosses over the Boardwalk connecting to Caesars, is well-known for its breathtaking views of the ocean and the beach in Atlantic City. However, nearly all of the restaurants and businesses inside The Playground Pier have sat vacant for years.
ACX1 plans to transform the pier into a live entertainment and state-of-the-art production studio, including 150 TV and media sets.
On Thursday Sept. 14, The ACX1 Studios hosted a ribbon-cutting event on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in front of The Pier across from Caesars Casino. Chief Operating Officer, Dom Franklin and his team are offering a wealth of experience, and vision as well as money to make The ACX Studios a success.
According to Franklin, by 2024, The Pier/ ACX1 Studios will include spaces for everyone from professional TV and filmmakers, to concert spaces and media classrooms.
Franklin said the unique concept will include a mix of retail, restaurants, entertainment, and educational space for the music and film industries. It will also offer event rental space.
The ribbon cutting was followed by an evening of performances from artists including comedian J. Anthony Brown and Pretty Poison.
One of the top tenants will be the Laff House Atlantic City, owned and operated by Roderick “Mr. Rod” Millwood, who helped launch the careers of comedians such as Kevin Hart, Mike Epps and J.B. Smoove. Comedian J. Anthony Brown was on hand to lend his support.
Gov. Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission announced in January that spending on in-state filmmaking exceeded $650 million in 2022. This beat the $500 million record set in 2021, in large part due to the New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program reestablished in 2018 and expanded in 2021.
Roy Koriakin, the executive vice president of Film production for ACX1 Studios, said he expects Atlantic City to become a major player in the industry.
“We know that we’re going to bring film here,” Koriakin said. “We know that Atlantic City is going to become the next Hollywood. We’re just going to change the game here. They’re not just going to think of Atlantic City as a gambling spot.”
For decades the property was known as the Million Dollar Pier, but it caught fire in 1981. Two years later the property was redeveloped into the Shops at Ocean One.
Most locals called it the Ocean One Mall and all throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, teens and tourists alike frequented the mall daily for everything from shopping to stress release in the arcade.
In 2003, the pier, with its stunning ocean views, was transformed into The Pier at Caesars, featuring high end shops. In 2015, it became The Playground.
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