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‘It’s all passion’ at Marengo film production studio
Mediaverse Studios bolstering professional filmmaking in Iowa
Sep. 25, 2025 6:00 am, Updated: Sep. 25, 2025 9:21 am
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MARENGO — Iowa filmmakers are making movie magic in a barn in Marengo.
Picking up a camera on a whim and making a short film in 2020 during the pandemic led Jacob Daniels to connect with other creatives and found the production space named Mediaverse Studios.
“That’s the coolest thing to me, we’re this little pocket in Iowa making really cool stuff. People think (Los Angeles), Atlanta, Chicago and New York when they think film. Out there, it’s saturated. Everyone’s looking for the same job and telling the same stories,” said Daniels, owner of Mediaverse.
“Here, we don’t have the money, but we have the spaces, and we have really good people that want to stay and make really cool stuff,” Daniels added.
Daniels and a crew of about a dozen people who are directors, camera operators, scriptwriters, makeup artists, costumers and set designers met because of their passion for film.
Mediaverse is a place for filmmakers to get their projects created. The studio operates as a cooperative, Daniels said. The space and crew’s time can be rented, but mostly, they work together and with other filmmakers to improve their skills, lend their expertise and create.
When outside filmmakers do rent studio space, it is often for a trade. Mediaverse’s crew builds and then gets to keep the set, adding to their inventory.
“It’s all passion,” Daniels said. “I tell the guys all the time if all we do is keep the lights on and make movies, I’m happy. No one is going to retire off this, and that’s OK.”
“Sometimes, we make a day rate. We’re getting into that territory where we have a budget to pay our cast and crew, which has been so nice,” Daniels added.
A lot of what is created at Mediaverse is submitted for film festivals like the Des Moines Horror 48 Hour Film Project, where teams make short films over two days, including writing, shooting and editing.
A feature film “5683” directed by Brittany Benedict, a crew member at Mediaverse, won Best Iowa Made Film this month at the 2025 Iowa Independent Film Festival. The cinematographer was Mediaverse’s creative director Michael Huntington.
The film will be available on streaming services this fall, Huntington said.
“You finish a film, and you just want people to watch it. To get the opportunity to show it to a bunch of people is super exciting,” Huntington said.
Another recent project filmed at Mediaverse is the 30-minute movie titled “Alien: Lost Transmission“ — a fan film based on the ”Alien“ movie franchise.
The film was released on YouTube in May.
“That set was mind-blowing and made by only five people,” said Gabriela Fuentes, one of the leads in “Alien.” “The quality of the storyline, the special effects, the makeup … it’s just because all these people are extremely passionate about film.”
Finding like-minded filmmakers
Daniels isn’t a filmmaker by trade. He has a degree in mechanical engineering and was a pilot and first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force for eight years. Today, he works as an aviation database specialist at Collins Aerospace.
He started a YouTube channel in 2018 filming do-it-yourself projects. When the pandemic hit in 2020 and he had “almost unlimited time” at home, Daniels wrote a script for a horror movie, then filmed it and edited it.
“It was the most fun I’d had in a long time. I wanted to get better,” Daniels said.
He continued making movies at home and found a Facebook group of like-minded filmmakers in Eastern Iowa. They invited him to work sound for an upcoming production.
That’s how he met his now business partner Michael Huntington.
“My right hand dude. I’ve never had a friend quite like Michael. He’s like a brother to me,” Daniels said.
“We’re always pushing each other to be better. If you ever saw us on set, you’d think we hate each other, but it’s all love,” Daniels added.
Huntington is a full-time freelancer mainly working as a cinematographer.
“I love the hustle of the film community here. I think it presents an opportunity to really be special in a market that isn’t so oversaturated by filmmakers. You go to LA and everyone is a filmmaker. There is no room for you unless you’re super extraordinary, have a following. In Iowa, you can stand out if you have good work. That is a rare thing, especially in the film world,” Huntington said.
“The hardest thing to get as an independent filmmaker is cool locations,” he added.
As Daniels and Huntington continued to work together and deepen their friendship, Daniels had an idea — and an opportunity.
Six acres in Marengo — owned by Daniels’ father — was vacant. He invited Huntington and other filmmakers to come see it.
“The moment we walked in there, we could tell this was what we would be doing for a long time,” Huntington said.
That was more than two years ago.
Mediaverse is a “one stop shop for people who want to make films,” Huntington said.
Today, Mediaverse offers a full range of services to help people bring their projects to life, including concept development, scriptwriting, production, editing and color grading.
The crew is available to work on a wide range of projects including short films, feature films, commercials, music videos, podcasts and documentaries.
There is no fixed price. Budgets depend on the scope, location, crew size, equipment and post-production needs, according to Mediaverse’s website.
To learn more about Mediaverse Studios, visit them online at mediaversestudios.co.
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