WRAP BEER!

Capturing the origin story of the Wilmington Film Industry, as recounted and explored by the filmmakers themselves.

Hosts Scott Davis and John D. Kretschmer record conversations with the many participants of a most unusual undertaking - the formation of a major film studio on the southeast coast of North Carolina.

In 1983, Dino Delaurentis chose Wilmington, North Carolina, as the location to film FIRESTARTER (1984). After leasing property on 23rd Street for that production, he went on the buy the land in order to break ground on his new dream - a major studio facility under the banner “North Carolina Film Corporation.”

In 1984, three office hubs and five stages sprung up from the sandy soil, along with a mill shop, SPFX shop and support spaces - all in the emerging shadow of a five-block-long backlot replicating New York City’s Chinatown! By the year’s end, the production tally added the major feature films - CAT’S EYE, SILVER BULLET, MARIE, & YEAR OF THE DRAGON. At the time, over a thousand local and relocated artists and technicians passed through the gate daily at 1223 North 23rd Street, rubbing shoulders with a world-class selection of filmmakers brought to the Cape Fear by DeLaurentiis himself.

“We learned our craft from the English, Italian, Spanish, New York and Hollywood . . . and don’t forget Canada . . . and yes, Shelby, North Carolina too. We kept the good ideas, tossed the bad ones, and added good ol’ southern hospitality as we set our own standards, and directed our own course in movie making history.”

Four decades later, the Wilmington Brand is recognized throughout the world, and our influence reaches far beyond the 32 acre studio lot - now Cinespace Studios - Wilmington. The back-lot has been replaced by a gargantuan Stage 10, previous studio owners - DEG, Carolco, EUE Screen Gems - have come and gone. But the stories are very much alive.

WRAP BEER starts at the beginning, and we take you to the sets, shops, warehouses, tailgates, commissaries et al, as we tell-the-tale of the weird thing that happened in a small town by the sea, in North Carolina.