EUE/Screen Gems has opened a studio complex in the former Lakewood Fairgrounds site near Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta. Once all construction is complete, the complex will offer more than 100,000 square feet of studio space.
The city agreed to lease the property to EUE/Screen Gems on May 17 and already one of its four soundstages is in 
production for a major entertainment brand. The state of Georgia offers a 30 percent tax incentive to both domestic and international film, TV and digital production companies and commercial agencies.
The existing buildings offer four stages ranging from 10,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet, with another to be built soon. The complex also has more than 50,000 square feet for lighting and grip, mill shops and support services.
EUE/Screen Gems plans a $6 million phased renovation for the property.
Plans include updating four other buildings on the property, updating electrical and other facilities, by August.
Construction on a 37,500-square-foot soundstage is expected to be completed by next March. Plans include a mobile, soundproofed wall that can split the space into two smaller stages.
“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,” Chris Cooney, chief operating officer and co-owner of EUE/Screen Gems, said in a statement. “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.”
EUE/Screen Gems currently houses the “Rachael Ray” show at its New York City facility and offers a 50-acre studio complex in Wilmington, N.C.
Cooney said the company was drawn to Georgia’s 30 percent tax credit to qualified production and post-production expenditures; it applies to traditional media such as feature films, television series, commercials and music videos, as well as new industries such as game development and animation.
“The agreement between EUE/Screen Gems and the City of Atlanta could not have come at a better time,” said Bill Thompson, Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, in a statement. “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 Lakewood site previously has hosted the shoots of August release “The Lottery Ticket” from Alcon Entertainment and last year’s Sony release “Zombieland,” as well as 1977 Burt Reynolds hit “Smokey and the Bandit.”
