Harbor Island Studios stays afloat thanks to local nonprofit

Harbor Island Studios was thrown a life raft Tuesday from a local nonprofit after the Metropolitan King County Council nearly voted to remove funding to the facility in November of 2025.

CREATE48 Media Network, a Seattle-based nonprofit, and the Council forged a one-year lease agreement Tuesday, affording the film studio some breathing room, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay said in a news release.

The region's only publicly owned sound stage, Harbor Island Studios is an 89,000-square-foot facility equipped with two sound stages, a green screen room, makeup and art rooms, a wardrobe and sewing shop and a construction mill and offices, according to its website.

Before Harbor Island Studios' launch in 2021, the building was an unused flour mill.

The facility has hosted 160 productions from Amazon, HBO, Netflix and Paramount, including independent shorts, features, commercials and music videos. It hosted a season of the reality TV show Love is Blind" in 2023.

"Harbor Island Studios has been a unique public asset that supports King County's film industry and creative economy," Zahilay said in a news release. "I'm glad we were able to find a nonprofit partner to continue momentum for the community while we work with stakeholders to develop a long-term strategy that supports access to affordable film and production space in our region.

In November, 67 members of the film community attended a King County Council public comment session to vouch for the studio after its county funding was cut.

"This is about keeping a valuable public asset active, accessible, and aligned with the needs of the regional creative economy," Kirk Nordenstrom, executive director of CREATE48 Media Network, said in a news release. "Harbor Island Studios has the potential to serve both professional productions and the local creative community. Our goal is to provide practical, mission-driven stewardship during this next phase."

CREATE48 is kicking off its tenure at Harbor Island Studios with its first public event since taking over - the Seattle 48 Hour Film Project.

The project will start 5 p.m. Friday at Harbor Island Studios, where filmmakers will see through the entire writing, production, and delivery process within 48 hours.

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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 11:35 PM.