Who says you have to pack your bags for L.A., Atlanta, or New York to get movie-level production quality? Prince George’s County, Maryland, just got its own slice of Hollywood thanks to ideaPlexMD, a new creative hub bringing blockbuster energy to the DMV, WTOP News reports.

Tucked away on a quiet street in Brentwood, ideaPlexMD is redefining what it means to “set the scene.” Walk through the doors, and suddenly you could be in a coffee shop, the National Mall, or even a haunted house. The magic comes courtesy of a massive LED screen that transforms the space into just about anywhere your imagination can dream up.

“It’s really the digital version of a green screen, and when COVID hit, that’s when we really saw the shift starting to happen,” said Ronald Dixon, the CEO and founder of ideaPlexMD.

Unlike the old-school green screen, this LED setup displays the background in real time, so the cameras capture the full scene without all the post-production hassle. If it sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same kind of technology used to create the otherworldly sets in The Mandalorian.

“The LED just gives us that flexibility. I like to say that we can go everywhere without going anywhere,” Dixon explained.

And he means everywhere. Dixon recently staged a music video for local artist Kevin Ross, bringing in dancers, a cyber truck, and a sports car that jumped from Japan to Thailand without ever leaving Brentwood. He and his team have already created digital twins of D.C. landmarks like the Capitol, Washington Monument, and Supreme Court, but they can just as easily drop you into a cozy café or whip up a brand-new scene using AI.

“There’s no real limits,” Dixon said. “The LED allows us to be creative at the speed of thought.”

The possibilities go far beyond music videos. Thanks to this setup, documents, films, business presentations, training videos, and even “talking head” interviews can all be produced faster and on smaller budgets. It’s a win for indie filmmakers, small businesses, and content creators who don’t want to break the bank renting giant studios or traveling cross-country for the perfect shot.

After years of running a smaller D.C. facility before being priced out, Dixon made the Gateway Arts District home for his new space. Last month, ideaPlexMD officially opened as the only minority-owned Virtual Production LED stage in Maryland.

But the LED screen is just the beginning. The studio also houses three podcast-ready sets: “The Living Room,” which Dixon calls “a warm and cozy environment where you can do a two-person kind of interview,” a classic roundtable “Hip Hop Set” with customizable wall art, and a slick news studio fit for multiple cameras and anchors. Add in textured backgrounds for headshots, product shoots, and branding content; the options feel endless.

“We’ll put it all together and make it work for clients,” said Dixon, noting that they can handle everything from lighting and sound to editing—or simply rent out the LED stage for pros who already have a team.

For Dixon, the mission is all about accessibility. Local executives can film commercials, companies can capture training videos, artists can drop music visuals, and podcasters can elevate their shows without paying Hollywood prices.

“Executive directors coming in, and they’re looking to tell stories and they have their board members with them, and so we can double up while they’re here and we can do fresh new head shots, and someone’s down on this end of the building getting their testimonials done,” Dixon said.

From corporate launches to brand-new films, Dixon sees ideaPlexMD as the ultimate creative playground. “We could be everything from corporate communications today to shooting, you know, a brand product launch and a new commercial tomorrow, and everything that fits in between,” he said.

With this kind of setup in the heart of PG County, Hollywood might just have to come here next.

Cover photo: New Creative Studio Brings Hollywood-Quality Production to Prince George’s County/Photo credit: WTOP News