EUE/Screen Gems Studio Lot at Lakewood Fairgrounds, Atlanta
Facts and Figures/ August 13, 2010
- In April 2010, EUE/Screen Gems, Ltd. began the formal process to lease Lakewood Property (known as Lakewood Fairgrounds) from the City of Atlanta for a long-term contract. On May 17, 2010, Atlanta City Council voted and approved a 50-year lease. The lease was signed in July 2010.
- EUE/Screen Gems is using the property as a studio complex for television, commercial, digital and film production.
- The property lease includes 30 acres of land covering multiple buildings; one studio has already hosted a film production with a nationally known entertainment brand. The older Spanish-style buildings that are the landmark features of this property will remain a part of the property.
- Projects on the property:
- EUE/Screen Gems is updating four other buildings on the property—punching up amps, updating grids, etc.—to be completed this month. The existing buildings offer four stages ranging from 10,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet, and more than 50,000 additional square-feet for lighting and grip, mill shops and support services.
- The studio will start construction in late September on a new 36,000 square-foot sound stage that will be ready in March, 2011. Currently, plans include a mobile, soundproofed wall that can also split the space into two smaller stages, if necessary.
- Once all construction is complete, the new complex will offer more than 100,000 square feet of studio space.
- EUE/Screen Gems chose Atlanta for their business expansion because:
- Atlanta needed a well-equipped, turnkey facility for large-scale film and television projects.
- National entertainment companies have come to EUE/Screen Gems management in recent months and asked them to consider development of this type of property in Atlanta.
- Atlanta offers a distinctive urban setting that EUE/Screen Gems does not have in its current portfolio. The ethnic and cultural diversity of Atlanta’s talent base and crew further expands the studios’ portfolio of options for film and television producers and directors.
- The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport offers multiple non-stop flights to and from New York City and Los Angeles.
- Georgia offers a state film credit up to 30 percent, along with sales and use tax exemption. http://www.georgia.org/GeorgiaIndustries/Entertainment/AboutUs/Pages/Incentives.aspx
ABOUT EUE/SCREEN GEMS
Today, EUE/Screen Gems continues to supply production space, studios, technological infrastructure and support for movie, film and commercial producers.
Its Wilmington, N.C. studio campus has been home to more than 350 productions, including “One Tree Hill,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Matlock” and the HBO comedies “Eastbound & Down” and “Little Britain USA.” Recent films that have called Wilmington home include “Nights in Rodanthe” and “The Secret Life of Bees.” This spring, the company updated wireless and coast-to-coast remote capabilities on its lot in Wilmington. The Wilmington property is also home to Stage 10, a $15 million special effects water tank and sound stage. “One Tree Hill” recently renewed its production contract on the Wilmington lot.
The EUE/Screen Gems’ New York City facility provides high-end production, post-production services and “wired” production offices to CBS’s “Rachael Ray” show. New York clients include Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Food Network and others. The company is also launching a digital content creation studio in New York.
The Lakewood facilities in Atlanta complete the suite of EUE/Screen Gems studio sites. A major entertainment brand has already taped at the Lakewood studios. EUE/Screen Gems was highlighted last weekend in a report by CNN on Georgia’s television and film boom:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/09/lakewood.film.productions/index.html
The company also owns a lighting and grip company in Charleston, S.C.
For more, visit www.euescreengems.com and www.screengemsstudios.com
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For downloadable images of the Lakewood facilities and EUE/Screen Gems news, visit http://news.euescreengems.com/.
