WALKER, Mich. — Black Pigeon Studios is rolling the credits on its operation. Less than four years after it was created, the rentable film and photo studio based in West Michigan will close its doors.
On Monday, FOX 17 learned that the company was asked to vacate the property after falling behind on rent. The co-founders, however, are doing their best to stay positive and find the silver lining.
In fact, "be positive" was the final thought Josh Sikkema and Johnny McClain signed off with before the interview came to an end.
That line, followed by a little laugher to heal the loss.
“When you think about West Michigan, the first thing is, I'm sure not film," Sikkema said. "That's what we saw, and that's what we love to champion.”
Sikkema and McClain have always seen something special in Michigan. After all, they were born and raised here. Sikkema is from Grand Rapids, while McClain is from Detroit.
“Michiganders will always be Michiganders, even if I pay Los Angeles County taxes," Sikkema said.
Although they both live in the Golden State now, supporting their home has always been a part of the plan.
McClain said, “We're going to keep pushing our theme, which is — we want to bring film and bridge that gap from LA to Michigan.”
The two put their words into actions in 2020 when they co-founded Black Pigeon Studios, a rentable production space for content creators.
They began in a facility in downtown Grand Rapids before expanding to a building in Walker in January.
There were several stages inside, allowing people to shoot commercials, documentaries, feature films, and more.
Sikkema and McClain said that's something West Michigan has seldom seen.
“With trailblazing great ideas comes a lot of stress and, also, setbacks," McClain said. "But you can't walk away from those things just because you run into a closed door. I mean, in LA alone, you get 1000 'No's' before you get that one 'Yes.'”
When FOX 17 arrived at its Walker location to capture video for this story, we found an eviction notice taped to their front door.
FOX 17 called the 59th District Court, who told us Black Pigeon Studios was behind on rent, which led to the letter.
Sikkema responded over text:
"Yes we did not have an attorney at the time to guide us through. But the lack of business and not being able to attain a business loan caused us to go delinquent on the rent."
Just because the studio is shutting down, though, the idea behind it is not going anywhere.
“It's the idea that, you know, multiple creators coming back from Los Angeles to Michigan to provide value for their state that they love," Sikkema said.
That love will be shown through a new film Sikkema and McClain are working on together. They couldn't share much, but the focus is clear.
“It's our love letter to both of our cities, you know, to show them that we're proud to be from Michigan," McClain said. "We're proud to be from Detroit and Grand Rapids. We'll never forget that. You know, grateful that they have been with us every step of our careers.”
Sikkema and McClain believe getting back to their roots as content creators will put them in the best position possible for whatever the future holds. They didn't rule out the possibility of trying to open up another studio down the line.
