Publication: The New York Times [US]
Date: February 28, 1990
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Title: "Prince's Studio Makes A Star of Hometown"
Written By: Eben Shapiro

The entertainment realm of the pop-music superstar Prince is radically altering the reputation of a city whose main contribution to the movie industry used to be industrial training films.

Since the 31-year-old singer built a $10 million studio amid the farms and ranch houses of the southwest Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen three years ago, the likes of Boy George, the Fine Young Cannibals and Paula Abdul have flown in to use its three sophisticated recording areas. Artists have used the studio to produce not only records but also music videos, feature films and television commercials.

With a cavernous sound stage for making films, Prince, whose real name is Prince Rogers Nelson, is stepping up his effort to attract commercial film and video production work for his studio, known as Paisley Park.

'Legitimized the Whole State'

Riding on Prince's stylish coattails is Minnesota's film and recording industry. Prince's decision to base his operations in his hometown of Minneapolis instead of a more traditional location has given that industry a considerable boost. ''It has legitimized the whole state,'' said Harry Grossman, the vice president of studio operations for Walt Disney Pictures and Television, the Disney production company, who used to work at Paisley.

Prince rarely talks to the press and, through a spokeswoman, declined to be interviewed. His businesses are private and his representatives would not disclose any financial information. Forbes magazine estimated that his various holdings earned $20 million in pretax profit in 1989. That includes earnings on his record albums; nine of his 11 have sold more than a million copies.

Renown for Business Acumen

The success of the 65,000-square-foot studio has polished Prince's renown for business acumen. ''As good as he is artistically, he is a better businessman,'' said Randy Adamsick, the executive director of the Minnesota Film Board, a state office charged with luring film production business.

Not only does Prince write and record his own hit records, he also dashes off songs for singers including Sheena Easton, Patti LaBelle and Kenny Rogers. In his spare time, he scouts performers to sign to his own record label, and writes and stars in movies produced by his own film production company. Prince's various companies are controlled by the umbrella corporation Paisley Park Enterprises.

At one point last summer, four of the top 10 albums on the charts had been produced or partly produced at Paisley Park. They were ''The Raw and the Cooked'' by the Fine Young Cannibals, '' Like a Prayer' ' by Madonna, ''Forever Your Girl'' by Paula Abdul and ''Batman,'' by Prince himself.

Recent Paisley Park Projects

Among the recent projects attracted to Paisley Park have been a pioneering high-definition television project intended for viewing at this year's Osaka World Expo in Japan, and the feature film ''Old Explorers,'' starring Jose Ferrer and James Whitmore.

Shooting began Feb. 15 for Prince's fourth feature film, ''Graffiti Bridge.'' The plot of the new film is similar to his successful first movie, ''Purple Rain,'' filmed in Minneapolis in 1984. That film grossed more than $75 million, and the sound track was a best seller.

The studio, which has 35 full-time and 13 part-time employees, has also been busy with a steady stream of commercial work, including commercials for Huggies diapers and Comet cleanser. Minneapolis's vital advertising community, with firms like Fallon McElligott and Campbell-Mithun-Esty, has made good use of Paisley Park.

Gains for Minneapolis

Local video production companies have benefited from the activity at Paisley Park. '''They are getting spill-over work,'' Mr. Adamsick said.

Minneapolis now ranks fourth in film and video production revenues, behind Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, Mr. Adamsick said.

According to a 1989 study by the Minneapolis Office of Film, Video and Recording, film and video production generated $137 million in revenue for the state in 1987, the most recent year for which figures are available. About 5,000 people work in the film industry in Minnesota.

One Minneapolis rock critic who asked not to be identified said big record companies send artists to Paisley Park to record a song or two in the hope that the prolific Prince might wander by the session and contribute a song.

Prince's staff uses the region's isolation as a selling point for the studio. ''If someone wants action and an exciting, dynamic night life, they are probably going to be disappointed,'' said John Dressell, manager of the recording studios. ''For people who are serious about making records, this is a great place to come.''

Prince's presence means that local artists no longer feel compelled to leave home to make a mark. Having a bona fide superstar in residence has considerably heightened the city's musical profile.

International Acclaim

Partly following on Prince's reputation, practitioners of ''the Minneapolis sound,'' an aggressive style of rhythm and blues, have gained international acclaim.

And Prince is not the only successful artist/business executive in Minneapolis. No less an authority than the accounting firm Ernst & Young selected Jimmy Jam Harris and Terry Lewis as finalists in its 1989 Entrepreneur of the Year contest. They operate Flyte Tyme Productions, one of the most potent writing and producing teams in the country.

At one point in 1986, Mr. Harris and Mr. Lewis had produced or written three songs on Billboard magazine's top 10 list. Janet Jackson, Herb Alpert, George Michael and Gladys Knight and the Pips are current or former clients.