By Julianne Homokay
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
Jonathan Thompson had a vision.
After Thompson and his wife moved up to the mountain during the pandemic, he acquired the old Quonset hut that has been a fixture in downtown Crestline for decades. He spent a year repurposing the building to install his production company, Foxhound Productions. He had started small with a series of WD-40 commercials, and was ready to open fully for business.
Then the seven feet of snow came in late winter of 2023, and Foxhound Studios joined the list of Crestline businesses that suffered devastating damage.
If it’s a fair statement that it takes grit and perseverance to be successful in the entertainment industry, then Thompson certainly qualifies, as a filmmaker with a host of successful projects and awards under his belt. For the past year, Thompson has been facing multiple obstacles in getting his studio rebuilt: insurance claims; codes, regulations and permits required by San Bernardino County. And there was a paradoxical and frustrating experience with the Small Business Administration when he was denied a loan due to the fact he didn’t make enough money the previous year.
He saw two options: “level it and sell,” which many people were advising him to do, “or go into debt to renovate. I’m just a very stubborn person. I’m going to rebuild this damn thing.”
Owner Jonathan Thompson hopes to reopen Foxhound Studios by next year. (Photo by Julianne Homokay)
And Thompson is on track to do so. He expects that main construction will be done by September and is aiming to be open for business by the new year, launching with a holiday party for industry people, studio heads, investors, directors, producers and influencers to get the word out about the potential in his studios, his full-service production company that offers options from concept creation all the way through post-production, and the surrounding location possibilities here in the mountains.
While he presents as a down-to-earth and unpretentious guy, he is also extremely savvy about attracting production business from down-the-hill and hopes to be a positive influence on the local economy.
But what Thompson is most excited about and has always wanted to do is to create opportunities for the larger community. “No matter what,” he said, “I want to do something for the community so it’s not just a private thing. I’m very invested in the community.”
Thompson is brimming with ideas, possibly even rotating events through his space, especially ones that will attract a younger generation to the mountain. He would love the community to ask, “What is Foxhound doing this month?” Could he offer an event space, a climbing gym, a haunted house, escape rooms? “Is there a market for musicians, should I put in a recording studio?”
He is open to collaborating on art festivals, music festivals, comedy festivals and/or theater. Ultimately, “I’m trying to make it as flexible as possible.” He wants people to discover Crestline as more than just a stop on the way to Big Bear.
Thompson is closest to resurrecting a community project he began before the 2023 snowstorm with the last audio-visual teacher at Rim of the World High School. At the moment, he is talking with the high school to resume plans for workshops and internships for the students.
“Whatever the plan is, I’m going to need to bring money into that building. If I can make that happen while giving something to the community, that’s a double-win,” he said.
To find out more about Foxhound Studios and Foxhound Productions, visit foxhound.tv.
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