by: Brandy McDonnell
The Oklahoman
Almost 20 years ago, Richard and Amy Janes went on their first date in Los Angeles and realized they both aspired to start a film studio.
“We spoke about a dream that both of us happened to have about building a studio, a studio outside of the main Hollywood system, where people could have a quality of life where you could be courageous with the content you were creating,” Richard Janes recalled.
“In that day, we laughed and said, ‘Filmmakers Ranch. How cool would that be?’ We had no idea even about Oklahoma at that stage.”
In 2020, the couple teamed with Melodie Garneau and got started on realizing their dream in far east Oklahoma City, converting the shuttered Green Pastures Elementary School — a 35,435-square-foot building situated on 12 acres adjacent to the city of Spencer — into Green Pastures Studio.
Since, Green Pastures Studio has grown rapidly with the expansion of production infrastructure and subsequent increase in film and television activity throughout Oklahoma County and the state.