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Mark Wahlberg has an ambitious vision for his new hometown of Las Vegas.
The 51-year-old actor – who moved to Nevada from California with his family last fall – previously said he wants to build a “state-of-the-art” studio and transform Vegas into “Hollywood 2.0.”
In an interview with FOX Business, Wahlberg said it was “absolutely” his goal to boost the film and television industry in Sin City and bring thousands of lucrative job opportunities to the area.
“We want to create 10,000 jobs in the studio alone,” said the “The Departed” star.
Mark Wahlberg wants to turn Las Vegas into “Hollywood 2.0”. (Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Wahlburgers/Getty Images)
He continued, “The average salary would be $100,000 more than it is now. We want to educate people both in front of and behind the camera, create jobs, first and foremost for local people.”
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“And after that, I think we can attract a lot of people,” Wahlberg added. “The housing market is great.”
The two-time Oscar nominee told FOX Business that a group of his employees have personally benefited from the lower cost of living in Las Vegas.
“When I moved here, I probably brought 15 or 20 people to work with me who also moved here,” Wahlberg said. “They went from three-bedroom houses that they were really struggling to pay the rent for. And now they have a six bedroom house. And it’s, you know, half the cost.”
“And they walk their dogs,” he continued. “They are in a gated community. You have the school two blocks down the street.
“It’s just a much better lifestyle here and more affordable.”
In addition to his acting career, Wahlberg owns eight companies, including his film and television production company, Closest to the Hole Productions, which he founded in 2004.
Through Closest to the Hole Productions, he has served as executive producer on five HBO series, including Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, How to Make It in America, Ballers, and McMillions.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: MARK WALHBERG ABOUT THE OPENING OF A NEW WAHLBURGERS LOCATION IN LAS VEGAS
Mark Wahlberg expressed his excitement at the opening of the Wahlburgers restaurant chain’s newest location by himself and his brothers at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
The company has also produced or co-produced more than 15 films including Patriot’s Day, Deepwater Horizon, Lone Survivor and its most recent release Father Stu.
Wahlberg has previously said he hopes to get tax credits from the state that would help him launch the studio.
He told FOX Business he was heartened that newly-elected Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo wanted to attract other industries to Vegas, which is known for tourism and gaming.
“There are a lot of growth opportunities here,” he said. “And the government, particularly our new governor, is really looking at ways to create jobs outside of gaming.”
Alongside the studio, Wahlberg, who is an investor in sneaker resale marketplace StockX, plans to build a shoe factory and a factory for its Municipal apparel line.
“We want to create a lot of jobs here,” he said. “We are always looking for new opportunities and new adventures. I hope to create a lot of opportunities here.”
The actor built the Wahlbergers global restaurant chain with his brothers, chefs Paul and Donnie Walhberg. On Monday, they opened their second location in Vegas. (Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Wahlburgers/Getty Images)
The ‘Boogie Nights’ star is already a local business owner in Vegas. Wahlburgers, the global restaurant chain he co-owns with his brothers Chef Paul and Donnie Walberg, opened its first Vegas location at the Grand Bazaar Shops in the Horseshoe, formerly Bally’s.
Earlier this week, Wahlberg and Paul celebrated the grand opening of Vegas Wahlburgers’ second location at the Shoppes at Mandalay Place at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
On Monday night, the brothers hosted a red carpet event to mark the opening, where they were presented with the keys to the Strip. Before the party, Wahlberg told FOX Business that opening the restaurant in Mandalay Bay was “really exciting.”
“It’s actually a place I found by accident with some of my friends who have worked at both MGM and Mandalay Bay,” he said. “Our first restaurant in Vegas, The Horseshoe, is our biggest revenue driver across all of our 90 restaurants in our portfolio. So it’s a great market for us.”
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“What we find is that people from all over the country and people from all over the world who have eaten Wahlburgers and want a taste of home are drawn to these places. So it’s really exciting.”
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: MARK WAHLBERG ON THE SUCCESS OF WAHLBURGERS
Mark Wahlberg asks if he could have predicted the success of his family’s restaurant chain Wahlburgers. He also paid tribute to his brother chef Paul, noting that it was his sibling’s “idea”.
The first Wahlburgers opened in 2011 in Hingham, Massachusetts, near Paul’s waterfront Italian restaurant Alma Nove. The success prompted the Walhbergs to start an A&E reality show that followed the company’s development and the family’s personal life.
Wahlburgers ran for 10 seasons from 2014 to 2019 and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. There are now 97 Wahlburgers locations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
In his interview with FOX Business, Wahlberg shared his thoughts on whether he predicted Wahlburgers would be as successful.
“I did it and I didn’t do it,” he admitted. “I obviously had a lot of faith in my brother Paul as a chef and in his cooking skills, which is why we decided to do the restaurants in the first place.”
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“I really have to give Paul credit,” Wahlberg continued. “It was his idea. Obviously I was the engine behind the business. But he created the quality that people know and expect.”
For his part, Paul told FOX Business: “We have a team that works, but Mark and Donnie are always involved, bringing ideas and comments and are always part of the picture of what we’re trying to do. Your guidance is amazing.”
Paul said when they first opened Wahlburgers he could never have imagined what it has become today.
“Everyone says they’re going to do this, and they’re going to do that,” he said. “I’m just more concerned with the next burger coming out, because that’s always the focus. Because if you lose sight of that, that’s where the problems start.”