WWE Will Open Production Studio In South Norwalk

This is no Raw deal for Norwalk.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will rent 66,000 square feet of production space at 345 Ely Ave. in South Norwalk as the Stamford-based entertainment giant expands its business, city officials and the building's landlord announced on Wednesday.

"They needed additional space and we have a facility that worked well for them," Kevin Segalla, president of the Connecticut Film Center, which rented the space to WWE. "It's great for Norwalk and the Connecticut media industry. I've been working with WWE over the years and this is part of their natural growth."

Clay Fowler, principal at Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, the building's landlord, added: "I'm pleased to see continued growth of the entertainment industry in Norwalk."

WWE is known for its programs such as Raw, WrestleMania, and Smackdown. Its stars include Mark Henry, Triple H, and John Cena. Past stars include Hulk Hogan, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and Andre the Giant.

Linda McMahon, candidate for U.S. Senate, is the former president of WWE.

WWE spokeman Robert Zimmerman said the company is happy to expand in Norwalk and looks forward to "continuing to be good corporate citizen in Connecticut."

WWE is in the processs of launching its own television network, although it was unclear exactly how WWE will be using the Norwalk studio space. It is also unclear when WWE will move into the space or how many new jobs the lease will create.

"The company is expanding and we current have 625 employees and have 50 open positions," Zimmerman said. "We'll need people to do the work in Norwalk, but we're not sure how many jobs we're looking at right now."...More?

source: thehour.com