When Pence Hall reopens for classes on the University of Kentucky’s campus this fall, it will be the new home and hub for the College of Communication & Information (CCI). The project has received significant support from Misdee Wrigley Miller and her husband, James Miller, who in December donated $2.5 million to the renovation project and to expand CCI programs.
Carter Skaggs Arden Barnes | UKphoto
Misdee Wrigley Miller
“It’s the largest gift we have ever received in the history of the college, and we have many generous donors,” said Jennifer Greer, dean of the college. In recognition of the donation, a new auditorium and the administrative floor at Pence Hall will be named after the Millers.
The renovation of Pence Hall, originally built in 1909, is an asset preservation project (without the constraints of historical preservation), funded by $32 million from the Kentucky Legislature, including matched funding from the university. Pence Hall originally housed the Physics and Civil Engineering Department and was later home to the Architecture Department and College of Design for nearly 50 years, until those departments moved to the newly renovated Gray Design Building (formerly known as the Reynolds Building).
UK’s renovated Pence Hall, scheduled to reopen this fall, will include five classrooms, an auditorium, a seminar room, two computer labs, a whitebox studio, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces.
“It’s a positive challenge to update a 100-plus-year-old building with modern mechanical and electrical systems,” said Carole Yocum, a principal at K. Norman Berry Associate Architects and lead architect on the project. Yocum recalls experiencing stifling heat in the building on hot days during her undergraduate days at UK. The renovation will include central air conditioning, and the building will also be made ADA-compliant with a new glass-encased main entryway and elevators. The renovated building will include five classrooms, a large auditorium, a seminar room, two computer labs, a whitebox studio, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces.
The donation also underscores the deepening collaboration of CCI with Wrigley Media Group and LEX Studios, Lexington-based film and video enterprises founded by Miller.
Miller’s connection to Lexington began with her love of horses. Growing up on a horse farm in the West, she felt right at home settling into a horse farm in the Bluegrass. An accomplished equestrian, she was the first woman to win a gold medal in the sport of Combined Driving at the World Equestrian Games. Her background also includes extensive experience in media and journalism. While a student at Arizona State University, Miller worked on a weekly news show produced by PBS and later became a reporter for a CBS affiliate in Phoenix. She was then offered the opportunity to join CBS News in New York City.
“CBS News in New York was far and away the No. 1 news station,” Miller said. “That was the epicenter. If I took that step, I’d be married to the news. Forget your horses, forget everything else, except the news.”
Miller instead chose to leave New York and return to Arizona to pursue her passion for equestrian sports. Once settled in the Lexington area, Miller eventually found herself drawn back into video and film. Her reentry into the industry began with voicing historic horsewoman Josephine Clay for a Post Time Productions documentary. She later partnered with founder Wood Simpson to run Post Time, which eventually evolved into Wrigley Media Group, expanding to a national market.
Miller describes Kentucky’s film industry tax incentives as “the best and most robust in the country.”
“We get calls at least weekly from people relocating to Kentucky, especially Lexington, mostly from Los Angeles and other parts of the country,” she said. This growing network in Lexington is often referred to as “LAX to LEX.” Many of these individuals have family ties or are returning to their home state.
Greer said Miller first started working with CCI and its students through internships soon after starting her work with Wrigley Media Group.
“I believe in giving students a real-life experience, putting theory into practical experience,” Miller said. “Nothing can replace working with industry professionals and making real-life decisions on productions.”
Wrigley Media Group, an award-winning video production company, operates a studio off Newtown Road on Lexington’s north end. The facility boasts industry-leading equipment and features, including a 60-by-40-foot cyclorama, green rooms, and advanced post-production capabilities. LEX Studios, Kentucky’s largest film production facility, occupies the former Woodhill multiplex cinemas in Lexington.
Initially, Miller’s team started with a few interns from CCI, but this number grew when production began on Relative Justice, a syndicated court show that recorded over 300 episodes at LEX Studios. Though the show was poised for a third season, Miller opted to stop production to focus on expanding the studio facilities.
“Instead of just having one sound stage, we now have three sound stages with complete production support areas. It’s turned into a 52,000-square-foot living set,” she said. “Productions that have come in have also used the hallways and the break rooms—everything around here can be a set.” She said five movie productions have used LEX Studios’ facilities over the past year.
Some of the interns have already found employment in the industry. One intern became a full-time employee with LEX Studios. Others have found positions elsewhere in the industry, one even becoming an associate producer on the Emmy-winning show Judge Judy. Miller and Greer are exploring ways to expand student opportunities beyond internships to include special projects at LEX Studios. Professionals with Wrigley and LEX Studios will also continue to visit CCI classrooms to talk about their work and opportunities in the film industry.