Did you say you wanted to see the inside of Glenn Beck’s new studio in Irving? Well, you’re in luck: Beck treated fans to a virtual tour of his new Las Colinas production space this week.
Beck, riding on a golf cart and sporting a day’s worth of stubble, brags in the four-minute clip that the studio that will contain his “American Dream Labs” was used to film Oliver Stone’s JFK, Walker: Texas Ranger, RoboCop, and Silkwood. Construction of the set for GBTV is underway at Studios at Las Colinas and should be completed in two months, Beck said.
“This is the center of where our dreams begin and where we begin to rebuild our nation,” Beck breathlessly said of the studio space.
Beck had originally eyed a vacant mega-church in Southlake for his studio, but ultimately decided it would be easier to remodel some 15,000 square-feet of studio space in Las Colinas, according to Walt Maciborski of 33 News.
As GBTV is on track to haul in $20 million in its first year of existence, Irving officials seemed pleased with Beck’s presence. “It’s going to create a significant amount of jobs and . . . increased tourism for us,” Leanne Weymouth, director of business development at the Irving Chamber of Commerce, told Maciborski.
Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne seemed untroubled by Beck’s polarizing nature. “I’d say he’s no more controversial than the Dallas Cowboys, especially after this last season,” Duyne said.
Last year, Beck created quite a stir when he left Fox News and moved to Westlake. Beck is shelling out $20,000 a month to rent a seven-bedroom, 7,900-square foot estate in the Vaquero Estates, according to Gina Pace of the New York Daily News. The house, owned by baseball player Jorge Piedra and Swarovski heiress Vanessa Piedra, sits on two acres of land and is decked out with Swarovski crystal fixtures, Pace wrote.
Beck even sang about his move to Texas in a Christmas song. (“It’s true I’m going to Texas / They have lots of cows and sun / Tania’s packed the gold bars / And a U-Haul for my guns.”)
