Our Daily Show Interview! State of Wood River 2026: Mayor Stalcup & City Manager Palen
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WOOD RIVER - As Wood River prepares for the year ahead, Mayor Tom Stalcup and City Manager Steve Palen promise a few updates regarding Hollywood River Studios.
In June 2025, Wood River received a $500,000 bid from Wood River Farm Investments LLC to purchase and develop a 105-acre site, formerly known as the EnviroTech Business Park or the Wood River Business Park, into Hollywood River Studios. The City Council approved a final $1 million offer from Wood River Farm Investments LLC in July 2025.
This site is set to become an esports arena with up to six sound and production studios. As community members await updates, Stalcup and Palen share that a lot has been happening behind the scenes to make Hollywood River Studios a reality.
“We had to keep it quiet on the studio for a while until they got through all the negotiating, and that worked out well,” Stalcup explained. “That’ll be a really exciting time. We’re looking forward to that. You thought it was quick, but it’s been in the planning for a couple of years. So we’re really excited about that.”
Palen added that the city is set to close on the property in February 2026, with plans for Wood River Farm Investments LLC to break ground in April. He believes this will “bring all kinds of stuff with it,” with jobs at the forefront.
Wood River Farm Investments CEO Chris Breakwell has said that he expects the Hollywood River Studios project to bring “several hundred…good-paying union jobs” to the region. He has estimated that each production filmed at the studio will create between 300 and 500 jobs.
This is great news to leaders like Stalcup and Palen, who also noted that the company is looking to purchase one or two of the three buildings that are currently onsite at the business park. Wood River officials promise more exciting news to come.
“There’s also talk of more things outside of just studios that this developer wants to do,” Palen said. “So there may be more bigger and better things that we’re kind of not at liberty to discuss right now that may be coming that are ancillary to that project.”
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