Over 200 people attended the ID8 Studios Grand Opening at the Entrepreneurs Sandbox on May 6, 2020. The event was an all-day open house from 9am to 7pm, where guests were treated to socially-distanced walk-through tours in small groups.
The Tour
The first stop was to one of the Sandbox conference rooms where an overview of the State’s Creative Industries Division (CID) was provided. Next, was the co-work space where the general mission and purpose of ID8 Studios was explained. Finally in the soundstage, the facilities’ features such as the new lighting grid, drapes, and green screen were highlighted. At the end of the tour, guests got to experience the excitement of production as they were invited to throw their best “shaka” in front of the green screen as part of the new documentary production “Shaka, the Power of Aloha”!
Watch a video of the tour that was livestreamed on social media.
Celebs, Legislators, Business Leaders, and More Attend
A VIP Hour attended by State Senator Glenn Wakai, Councilmember Calvin Say; Producer/Director Bryan Spicer, Henry Kapono, Laie Kupuna from the Shaka documentary; Magnum PI Actors Kimee Balmilero, Amy Hill, Stephen Hill, and Dennis Chun; Chefs Colin Hazama and Jeremy Shigekane; KITV Sportscaster Rick Quan, Choose Aloha Ambassador Dawn O’Brien, Tony Silva of Da Braddahs; and Musicians Keilana, IZIK, Jenn Wright, and Evan Khay.
This event was made successful by our many partners. A huge mahalo to the State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) and Entrepreneurs Sandbox, CID, and BoxJelly.
In addition, we wanted to extend a special thanks to the Shaka movie crew, Theatrix Hawaii who installed the lighting grid and truss, Sight & Sound Productions for the lighting, Ron Evans of Grade A Rag Company who sewed the green screen, Shaka Tea’s President Bella Hughes and Director of Ag & Community Development Mosese Ohia who provided delicious refreshments to keep everyone cool and hydrated, John Strandberg of Pacific Digital Signs who loaned us a digital sandwich board, Photographers Rex Maximilian and Brannon Yamauchi, and our hardworking Bizgenics staff.
E Komo Mai!
With this debut, ID8 is ready to grow the local creative community through training and bring in high caliber production companies. On both a national and international level, this means more work opportunities to propel the community forward while spotlighting Hawaii’s rich, unique culture
In case you missed the Grand Opening, please contact us to schedule a private tour. Contact Us »