EUE/Screen Gems Atlanta

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 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.

“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.”

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 in May. 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.

By August the company plans to update four other buildings on the property, upgrading amps and updating grids. 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 also plan to start construction on a 37,500-foot sound stage, which is expected to 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 complex will offer more than 100,000 square feet of studio space.

 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 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.

“The agreement between EUE/Screen Gems and the City of Atlanta could not have come at a better time,” says Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office. “Having a high-profile sound stage 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.”

Click here for more on the Georgia incentive and the sales and use tax exemption.