Mancini asks for help to develop media production company downtown

Cinecitta

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Ray talks about his proposal to tap in to Youngstown talent how he plans to help with the local economy.

YOUNGSTOWN

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, the former world lightweight boxing champion, is seeking economic development assistance to establish an independent digital media studio in downtown Youngstown.

Mancini’s company is Champion Pictures LLC.

“Youngstown, I think, given the opportunity, could be a real destination” for video production, Mancini told the Mahoning County commissioners during a Tuesday staff meeting.

“They’re looking for a place that could be production friendly” and more economical than other places for on-location shooting, he said of filmmakers.

Youngstown and its environs offer a variety of urban and bucolic scenery within a short distance that can create the visual illusion of being almost anywhere, Mancini said.

“That’s the beautiful part about Youngstown – the diversity” of scenery, culture and ethnicity, he added.

Read more about his proposal in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.