Forging a New Stage for Virtual Production in Chicago

Around the outskirts of Chicago, a new kind of production playground is taking shape. Forge Virtual Studios, co-founded by CEO Drew English and president Connor Rowan, is launching this November with a north star mission of eliminating barriers to creativity by offering world-class virtual production technology in an accessible, collaborative environment.

Housed in a 30,000-square-foot facility in the western suburbs, Forge pairs two cutting-edge LED stages with a hospitality-driven approach, aiming to make high-end content creation more attainable for filmmakers, agencies and in-house teams across the Midwest. The team has spent months preparing to act as a partner in the creative process, helping teams execute their ideas with clarity, control, and impact.

Every corner has been designed with marketers, producers and creatives in mind. Its founders, Drew and Conor, deliberately chose the Midwest as Forge’s home base – far from the Hollywood soundstages – to empower creators in their own community.

A Look Inside: Here’s What to Expect

The facility features two LED volume stages under one roof, each of them tailored to different needs.

Studio A is the main stage, with an expansive 82’ x 16’ LED wall (a full LED ceiling) that can envelop a set in dynamic imagery. It’s built for all things ‘big storytelling’, so it is ideal for high-end commercials, cinematic narrative scenes and ambitious visual campaigns.

In contrast, Studio B – dubbed ‘the agile stage’ by the team – offers a more versatile 25’ x 13’ LED wall that’s suited for leaner productions like branded content, corporate videos or social media shoots.

By offering both a large-volume stage and a smaller insert stage, Forge hopes to serve projects of all scales without forcing creators into one-size-fits-all solutions, which are rarely ever solutions at all.

And What About Location?

Forge’s location also brings its own pragmatic perks. The Hanover Park site provides both the space and convenience hard to find in downtown studios – think things like ample parking, easy drive-in loading bays for gear, and proximity to O’Hare airport – all without the downtown price premium. Small things that can become a headache are remedied here from the outset.

Each and every piece of this puzzle has been created with intent because Forge wants to give creators world-class capabilities in a Midwest package. All with the strategy to position Chicago’s production scene as a genuine alternative to LA or New York, rather than a flyover afterthought.

Stepping into Forge Virtual Studios, visitors will find a high-tech arsenal capable of rivalling any coastal soundstage. Both studios harness the latest virtual production tools: real-time 3D rendering via Unreal Engine, precision camera tracking with Stype RedSpy, and an extensive library of photoreal backdrops through Forge’s partnership with Vū Studio.

This means creative teams can conjure up almost any location or fantasy world on the LED walls – everything from those great sweeping landscapes to futuristic cityscapes – then adjust them on the fly. Needing to tweak the lighting or swap a background from day to night is as simple as a few clicks, with changes rendered live on the 1.9 mm pitch LED panels of Studio A or the 2.6mm panels of Studio B.

The larger stage even includes a 10’ x 10’ mobile ‘wild wall’ – an extra LED panel on wheels that can be repositioned to extend scenes or create corner shots. Both stages are fully livestream-ready as well, equipped with a TriCaster system, a robust A/V setup and gig-speed fibre, in case a shoot needs to broadcast out to the world in real time.

The team has also stocked the space with top-tier gear to support any production. That means the camera department features the latest RED digital cinema cameras and an array of high-end lenses, while lighting includes the newest Aputure LED fixtures and ample grip equipment on-site.

Essentially, clients can walk in with just their creative concept and find a ready-made sandbox for experimentation. “Virtual production lets us bring creative visions to life that we couldn’t capture otherwise,” says the team. By controlling every variable from weather, time of day, and location within the LED volume, Forge enables final-pixel results straight out of the camera, minus the headaches of traditional location shoots.
More than ever in today’s economy, price matters – and virtual production has earned a reputation for its eye-watering costs, but that’s why Forge is making sure all of this tech firepower comes with an accessible pricing model, lowering the entry fee to great work.

Built for Collaboration and Comfort

Beyond the tech specs, Forge Virtual Studios distinguishes itself with a focus on people and comfort. Drew likes to say that Forge was built by creators for creators – the team essentially designed the studio they always wanted to use themselves.
There are fully equipped production offices and tech-enabled conference rooms on-site, so visiting teams can brainstorm and post-produce without leaving the building.

Client hospitality is front and centre, with high-end VIP lounges and entertainment areas for talent and executives to unwind, multiple green rooms for hair, makeup and wardrobe changes, as well as a large catering kitchen with a canteen-style dining space to keep everyone fed and happy through long shoot days.

Little conveniences, like private restrooms and over 70 parking spaces with drive-in load bays, round out a facility designed to anticipate production needs big and small.
The team wants to make sure everyone is taken care of, so you can focus your energy on the creative task at hand.

Collaboration is woven into Forge’s DNA. “Great work is made together” is a mantra the studio is born with and will live by, emphasising that even the most cutting-edge tech is only as powerful as the teamwork behind it. “Forge is more than a space. We're a partner in your creative process,” says Drew.

But what might that look like? It could mean helping an agency figure out how to previsualise their shoot in Unreal Engine during prep, or simply standing by to operate the volume and tracking system for an experienced film crew. Whether you’re a Hollywood DP experimenting with LED stages for the first time or a local marketing team shooting your quarterly content, the Forge team is there to guide or collaborate as an extension of your crew.

This is an industry often split between high-end ‘for experts only’ facilities and bare-bones rentals, but Forge is trying to strike the balance of a top-tier technical sandbox wrapped in Midwestern approachability.

Opening Doors to Creativity

As of now, Forge Virtual Studios is putting the finishing touches on its two stages and gearing up for an official debut.

The plan is to offer limited engagements and private tours by November 2025, giving early adopters a sneak peek at the space, with a full public opening slated for January 2026 – just in time to kick off the new year of productions.

The buzz has been building steadily. A brief brand reveal video (above) released over the summer gave a first glimpse of the massive LED walls lighting up to the beat of imagination.

But the best is yet to come. Creativity without limits.