Santa Barbara’s Renaissance
American Film
Manufacturing Company
Santa Barbara has always been a place where bold ideas take root. Long before Los Angeles became synonymous with filmmaking, Santa Barbara was the thriving hub of American cinema. At its heart stood Flying A Studios—the very first major film studio on the West Coast.
Founded by the American Film Manufacturing Company in 1910, the company was attracted to the city’s diverse landscapes, Mediterranean light, coastal vistas, and Spanish Revival architecture—the city’s natural beauty played a starring role in hundreds of silent films shot here.
"Cinema is not an art which films life—cinema is something between art and life."
~Jean-Luc Godard
Flying A Studios
Over the next decade, Flying A produced over 1,200 films—most of them silent Westerns, dramas, and comedies. At its peak, the studio employed more than 200 people, including writers, directors, set designers, and a growing group of pioneering actors and actresses.
Flying A wasn’t just about film—it was a catalyst for Santa Barbara’s early cultural development — drawing creatives from across the country and setting the stage for the city to evolve into a place where art, storytelling, and innovation could thrive. It planted the seeds for Santa Barbara’s enduring identity as an artistic and cinematic destination. Though the studio closed in 1921 after a decline in demand for silent films and the centralization of the film industry in Hollywood, its spirit lives on.
"Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth."
~Pablo Picasso
Santa Barbara Artists Collective
A century later, Santa Barbara is experiencing a new kind of artistic renaissance with artists of all types— filmmakers, writers, painters, musicians, spiritual visionaries, and social entrepreneurs—reclaiming the city’s role as a cultural epicenter. This new wave of creative expression is infused with a sense of purpose: to uplift consciousness, to unite humanity, bring Truth to Light, and to awaken the human spirit in us all.
Are you an artist? Ready to join the next renaissance?