VIDEO: Expansion Set for Athens, Ga., Film, TV Studio One Year Into Construction
Wed September 21, 2022 - Southeast Edition Athens Banner-Herald
In November 2021, construction began on a $60 million, 45-acre sound-stage development project in Athens, Ga., to attract film and television production to the college town.
In September 2022, not even one year into the project, Athena Studios announced that it had purchased an additional 65 acres of land adjacent to the original site currently under construction at 900 Athena Dr. The move was made in anticipation of demand for its initial 200,000-sq.-ft., purpose-built production space.
The expansion will add 350,000 sq. ft. to the already massive facility, which is scheduled to open its first phase on Mar. 1, 2023, with the ability to host productions of any size. The increased acreage will allow for the construction of backlot space and make Athena one of the largest production studios in Georgia.
More than 300 workers have been involved with the construction of the studio over the last 10 months, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
Athena Studios CEO Joel Harber told the Athens news source that the University of Georgia (UGA) and Georgia Film Academy (GFA) building, which is currently being built to house the studio's business office entrance, is slated to open later this year.
Designed to create a local industry workforce through its partnership with UGA and GFA, the building will include a 14,000-sq.-ft. learning center with its own sound stage. Film and TV production students will be moving from their current 2,000-sq.-ft. space on campus into the much larger facility when it is finished.
Just past the UGA/GFA structure, according to Harber, the studio plans to erect a secure gate within which will be sound stages, a mill, offices and a base camp. The stages will be equipped with "silent air" systems so that productions can record clear audio without having to turn off the air-conditioning system during filming, and industry standard Insul-Quilts will be used for soundproofing.
The Banner-Herald noted that the expanded secure backlot will feature a variety of spaces to build sets and film outdoor scenes.
The new studio company has partnered with Atlanta-based Raulet Property Partners, which matches film and television productions with Georgia studio space, and Forest Park, Ga.-based Cinelease, a provider of lighting and grip equipment, power distribution, grip trucks, expendables and heavy equipment to productions around the country.
"[Athena is] stepping up to meet the industry's demand," explained Harber. "We're proud to play such an important role in Georgia's TV and film industry, bringing opportunity to the hundreds of crews and experienced vendors in and around Athens."
Studio to Bring More Talent to Athens
While watching the credits of Disney's "Jungle Cruise" one evening several years ago, Harber, an Athens-based real estate developer, noticed that the movie was made on location in Hawaii and on sound stages in Atlanta. That fueled a desire to put his hometown on the map for Georgia film production, and shortly after he began to make it a reality.
With the groundbreaking for Athena Studios last fall, the UGA graduate's dream of building a studio in his college's town started take shape.
Harber told the Banner-Herald that the studio's primary goal is to stay in constant production by employing International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union members on television shows from companies such as Netflix and Warner Brothers, and will be open to working with independent productions as well.
"There is a wealth of creative talent in Athens in all facets of what you need to make movies and television," he explained. "I'm hoping that some of that gravitates towards us."
An artist's rendering shows what Athena Studios will look like at 900 Athena Drive in Athens. The first phase of the soundstage is expected to be completed by early 2023. (Photo Courtesy of Athena Studios)
