The visual effects studio Whiskytree has opened a second location in Georgia. Located just outside of Atlanta in Alpharetta, The Whiskytree Southern Corporation will add dozens of new artists and technicians, more than doubling the company’s size. The new location will work in tandem with the original San Rafael studio to expand its capabilities and take on new VFX projects for film, television and more.
“Georgia is a global hub for the entertainment industry, thanks to incredible support from the state, and a growing infrastructure that can handle some of the largest film and television productions in the world,” said Jonathan Harb, CEO and founder of Whiskytree. “We had to expand to keep up with the demand for our services, and opening a new location in Georgia that will work directly with productions shooting in the area was the obvious choice.”
Founded in 2007 by Harb and other veterans from Industrial Light and Magic, Whiskytree has earned a reputation for quality, reliability, and imaginative designs, including working on some of the most iconic locations ever seen on screen, ranging from Thor’s Asgard to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Alderaan. The new office officially opened its doors earlier this month and is currently hiring a mix of on-site and remote employees.
Whiskytree recently completed the upgrade of its pipeline to take advantage of cloud computing on the Amazon Web Services platform, allowing artists across the country to securely collaborate and iterate on projects. Work can also be instantaneously shared with clients for approvals, edits and general updates, vastly improving turnaround times and collaboration.
Along with its docket of projects in 2024 and a roster of clients that includes Apple Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Netflix, Skydance and more, Whiskytree is now accepting additional work, with a focus on productions shooting in Georgia. It joins a growing number of companies in the entertainment industry that are expanding their operations to Georgia, thanks in part to the combination of strong support from the local governments and a high quality of life for employees. Since 2008, spending by content creators in the state has risen a staggering 2,937 percent, from $135 million to $4.1 billion, and there are currently more than 4,850 motion picture and television businesses located in Georgia.
While Georgia has seen exponential growth in film and TV productions filmed in the state, the lack of comparable growth of post-production facilities — despite extreme demand — has forced studios to look elsewhere after the cameras stop rolling. By keeping the post-production work in Georgia, studios can continue to reap the benefits of local incentives, while also improving coordination between local productions and VFX teams. In December 2023 alone, the state had over a dozen motion picture projects filming, with dozens more scheduled throughout 2024 and beyond.
Whiskytree’s work can be seen in some of the most popular film and television projects in recent years, including Star Wars: Andor, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Foundation, The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the Hunger Games franchise, the first three Thor films and more. Its work can next be seen in the highly anticipated miniseries Masters of the Air, from producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Master of the Air will air exclusively on AppleTV+.