MTV’s Viacom ditches Georgia to build Florida’s growing film industry.
Viacom to produce MTV, Comedy Central and several other network series at a new Miami, Florida studio.
According to TheRealDeal.com, Viacom will create a production hub for it’s global entertainment brands including, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central, at a newly built studio in Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District.
Viacom International Media Networks will occupy the 88k square foot studio beginning November 1st.
The EUE/Screen Gems Studio Miami at 50 Northwest 14th Street, was built after a partnership with Miami’s Omni Community Development Agency and EUE/Screen Gems. The OMCA Community Development agency bought the property, which was a former school warehouse in 2011, and the site is now in the final stages of renovation.
“It was a passion project for the CRA and EUE to bring it to life as a television hub that will create jobs, because Viacom does a lot of shooting and taping, and the crews on their shows are quite large,” Cooney told The Real Deal. And About 250 employees are expected to rotate in and out of each production, he said.
The new studio will feature two 15,000-square foot sound stages and 15,000 square feet of offices, editing spaces, talent support areas, and an accessary room. The space can be used for major movies, TV shows, indie films and all other productions.
Currently, EUE/Screen Gems Studios is leasing the area for 10 years with the option to renew after nine years. The lease payment is $100,000 plus an additional 11 percent gross revenue share.
“It’s very exciting to take an old building and have a magnet-type effect where Viacom comes in and makes a long- term commitment to the facility and will produce from it exclusively,” Cooney said. “It’s a great public-private deal and is keeping jobs in Miami.”
EUE/Screen Gems has production studios all across the country. Including Wilmington, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia.
“Today, we have taken another major step toward revitalizing the Omni neighborhood within the city of Miami. We have transformed a dilapidated building into a thriving economic engine that is creating hundreds of good-paying jobs, increasing economic development within the Omni area and revitalizing Miami’s film and television industry,” said Pieter Bockweg, executive director of the Omni CRA, in a statement. “Together, the Viacom announcement and the launch of the film and television studio provide another major commercial component necessary to make the Omni a thriving entertainment district, where people can live, work and play.”
But, how will this impact Georgia’s growing film industry? Well, MTV, VH1 and BET has been utilizing Georgia as a filming location quite often for the last five years. Currently, MTV is filming their hit TV series Finding Carter which is heading into their third season. And, BET recently finished working on their hit TV series Being Mary Jane. However, Florida does not have the tax incentives that Georgia provides. Therefore, there it is hard to tell if this new film studio will take away all of productions from the Georgia.
Source: The Real Deal
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What do you think? Will this new Viacom headquarters impact Georgia’s growing film industry? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!
