EUE/Screen Gems touts new studio in ATL

FROM A NEWS RELEASE SENT TO THE WWAY NEWSCHANNEL 3 NEWSROOM FROM EUE/SCREEN GEMS:

EUE/Screen Gems latest studios complement their existing sites in New York City and Wilmington. Now, incentive-friendly Georgia offers an urban, ethnic edge.

ATLANTA (June 17, 2010) – EUE/Screen Gems has opened a studio complex with multiple stages and support services minutes away from the Atlanta airport. The new lot is located in the former Lakewood Fairgrounds site. One of the four sound stages is currently in production for a major entertainment brand.

The quick booking of the property points to the need for the space in the city and the cracking hot production climate the 30 percent Georgia tax incentive offers to film, television and digital production companies and commercial agencies in the United States and other countries.

EUE/Screen Gems is undertaking a $6 million dollar phased renovation for the property. The City of Atlanta agreed to the lease agreement with EUE/Screen Gems on May 17, 2010. The studio facility provider is moving quickly. In addition to the stage that is fully functional, three other buildings exist on the property, and another stage will build out soon. Here are the plans:

• They will update four other buildings on the property—punching up amps, updating grids, etc. to be completed by this August.

• 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.

• They will start construction on a new 37,500-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.

“Producers, directors and studios came to us and asked us to go into Atlanta. We chose this site so that producers and directors can book with us immediately. The need is here, and we’re here,” says Chris Cooney, chief operating officer and co-owner of EUE/Screen Gems. “Through our properties in New York City, Wilmington and now Atlanta, we provide coastal, rural and urban settings to our clients as well as size and infrastructure needed to handle intensive special effects for film, commercial and gaming needs. This urban location expands our portfolio in a powerful way.”

This investment represents another bold move for the bullish studio provider who currently houses the “Rachael Ray” show in New York City and offers a 50-acre studio complex in Wilmington, N.C.

Cooney says the company was also drawn to the attractive 30 percent tax credit to qualified production and post-production expenditures. The credit is available not only to traditional motion picture projects such as feature films, television series, commercials and music videos, but also innovative new industries such as game development and animation. In addition to the incentive, the city’s ethnic and cultural diversity in the talent base was a draw as well as the proximity to the airport and the number of direct flights to Los Angeles and New York.

Bill Thompson, Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office welcomes the arrival of EUE/Screen Gems. “The agreement between EUE/Screen Gems and the City of Atlanta could not have come at a better time,” said Thompson. “Having a high-profile soundstage in the metro area will only add to the many assets Georgia offers for the film industry. We are building this industry in Georgia, and EUE/Screen Gems locating here helps us achieve that goal. The new facility will create more jobs for Georgians and increase our competitiveness as a state for film and television productions.”
For more on the Georgia incentive and the sales and use tax exemption, visit http://www.georgia.org/GeorgiaIndustries/Entertainment/AboutUs/Pages/Incentives.aspx.

The expansion into the Lakewood community was widely heralded in the Atlanta press as a source of jobs in a growing, vibrant industry. The Lakewood site has a film history. “The Lottery Ticket” from Alcon Entertainment (to be released August 2010) and “Zombieland” by Sony Pictures (2009) were both shot there. Lakewood was also home to “Smokey and the Bandit,” the 1977 film that inspired other trucking films and sequels.

ABOUT EUE/SCREEN GEMS
EUE/Screen Gems supplies 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 the recently renewed television series “One Tree Hill.” Other titles include “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.”

The company has just invested in updating 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” just 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 also owns a lighting and grip company in Charleston, S.C. www.euescreengems.com and www.screengemsstudios.com