"Most expensive movie ever" in production at Pinewood Atlanta

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

If you would have told me this was going to happen in Fayette County 10 years ago I would have called you crazy. Growing up there was so boring, nothing crazy or interesting really happened (and that was generally a good thing). Seeing something like this in my sleepy little home town is awesome and I think we got about as lucky as one could get in the movie realm.

Still not a believer in the Pinewood Forest/W. Fayetteville/Build to suit a Millennial developments coming in with the studio, but I'm proud and happy to see Pinewood be such a significant addition to my hometown.

I haven't been home since Christmas but I hear that another bar has opened on the square in Fayetteville?! This would've been unheard of just 5 years ago!

The "Living in Fabulous Fayette"' Facebook group has lots of California transplants who've moved with the entertainment industry and are trying to find their way in the community. Long before the arrival of Y'allywood there's always been a sizable population of ex-Californians in Fayette County (especially PTC) because of the airline and tech industries. The quality of life, good schools and recreational amenities make it an easy transfer for most. I know my BIL has several LA kids whose parents work at Pinewood in his middle school classes.

I have high hopes for Pinewood Forrest. Homes are reportedly already selling like hotcakes and the first foundations haven't even been poured yet. My only worry is that the mix of retail, restaurants etc will draw energy away from efforts to revitalize and build up historic downtown Fayetteville. But I have faith in Dan Cathy's vision and city and county leadership all seem to be on board, which is a rarity in Fayette County.

[Born 2 Roll]

Some recent happenings and more background on the significance of the television and film production industry to Georgia's economy...

"Georgia Film Day Celebrates A Booming Industry In The State" (Georgia@Work blog/Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Georgia Film Day Celebrates A Booming Industry In The State | Georgia Public Broadcasting

From the link above:

Today Governor Nathan Deal celebrated Georgia Film Day at the Capitol, but it wasn’t the governor’s appearance that made the day special.

Instead, it was people like Shay White, a Los Angeles-native who moved to Atlanta two years ago due to more film and television work coming to the state.

It was people like Billy Gabor, the managing director of Atlanta’s Company 3 outpost, which is under the Deluxe umbrella, moved back to Georgia from New York in 2011. “I’d tell people I was moving to Atlanta and they’d be like, ‘What? Are you nuts?’” he said. “They didn’t see what was happening with the industry down here yet, but they do now.”

The film and television industry in Georgia has been booming since 2008, when a tax incentive was passed by the state legislature. Entire towns have been transformed thanks to the influx of what has become a mega industry, most notably Senoia, Georgia, which you can read all about here.

Carrie Burns, founder and CEO of Atlanta Movie Tours, was recently named a Georgia Economic Developers Association Small Business Rock Star. She’s capitalized on the movie industry by tapping into the tourism market that’s developed over the last eight years.

She now employs nearly 30 people in Georgia, and her company held more than 800 tours around the state in 2016.

The film industry created $4.2 billion in wages in 2015 with an average salary of $85,000, per the Governor. That’s not just for fancy, high-paid actors, either. Those are set creators with a construction background. It’s caterers who started food truck services for the film and television shoots. It’s the prop shops, the effects studios, and all of the ancillary pieces that sprout because of the film and television productions in the state.

As Scott Tigchelaar, owner of Raleigh Studios Atlanta said, “we’re now training people to get into this industry that provides good, skilled jobs. What are we always talking about? We want to bring jobs back; we want to bring manufacturing back. That’s what the film business is. We’re manufacturing a product.”

The Georgia film industry has led to more prosperity for Georgians in and around television and film production. The film tourism industry is driving people from all around the world to Georgia, which leads to dollars spent in the state at restaurants and shops.

More...

"How Senoia Became The Epicenter Of The Georgia Film Boom (...Senoia transformed its Main Street from a half-vacant, two-block stretch into a booming small business haven.)" (Georgia@Work blog/Georgia Public Broadcasting)
How Senoia Became The Epicenter Of The Georgia Film Boom | Georgia Public Broadcasting

[Newsboy]

HOW PINEWOOD STUDIOS CAME TO FAYETTE COUNTY: This story has been told before, but never in such great detail.

"Gazing upon the land, Weltman remarked on how it reminded him of Pinewood Studio’s home, the Green Belt that circles London, where urban growth is limited to preserve green space for agriculture."

From Farm to Film – John Keuler

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

HOW PINEWOOD STUDIOS CAME TO FAYETTE COUNTY: This story has been told before, but never in such great detail.

"Gazing upon the land, Weltman remarked on how it reminded him of Pinewood Studio’s home, the Green Belt that circles London, where urban growth is limited to preserve green space for agriculture."

From Farm to Film – John Keuler

Great article and great story!

One key passage from the link that probably needs to be highlighted for emphasis of economic impact:

Pinewood Studios, the movie studio that brought you “James Bond”, “Harry Potter”, and “The Avengers” will now also bring 3,400 jobs to Fayette County. Coming soon! Three hundred and seventy-eight million dollars worth of economic impact per year!

That's 3,400 jobs and $378 million of economic impact per year just in Fayette County alone!

Talk about a massive economic boost to a county's fortunes.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

That's 3,400 jobs and $378 million of economic impact per year just in Fayette County alone!

Talk about a massive economic boost to a county's fortunes.

I think it should be clarified that all those jobs are not necessarily people living in Fayette County. The vast majority of the film crew people live ITP. I'm sure the economic impact is being felt quite a bit down there.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

I think it should be clarified that all those jobs are not necessarily people living in Fayette County. The vast majority of the film crew people live ITP. I'm sure the economic impact is being felt quite a bit down there.

Yes .. BUT ... the film industry pretty much singlehandedly brought Fayette County out of the depths of the Great Recession. Because it has always primarily been a bedroom community, with few local white collar jobs or industry (outside of the tech businesses in the PTC industrial park), the county took an especially hard hit. Home prices and property values plummeted far worse than elsewhere in Metro Atlanta. Thanks to Pinewood, there's actually a housing boom in Fayette County again, even if many of the people relocating aren't in the business. But just for an example, a new luxury apartment complex in downtown Fayetteville just opened with astronomical rents ($1,000 for 600 sf Studios) marketed directly at people in the entertainment industry. It's just a couple of blocks from Zac Brown's amphitheater and within walking distance of the growing bar scene on the courthouse square.

EVEN FURTHER ... 4-5 years ago Fayette County BOE closed 4 schools due to declining enrollment. They are now talking about reopening some of those schools because the numbers are rising again.

If you'd told me 10 years ago ANY of this would happen ... I would have called you crazy.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Great article and great story!

One key passage from the link that probably needs to be highlighted for emphasis of economic impact:



That's 3,400 jobs and $378 million of economic impact per year just in Fayette County alone!

Talk about a massive economic boost to a county's fortunes.

NOT TO MENTION: The Pinewood Forrest development across from the studio -- which has been compared to Avalon and Atlantic Station -- will represent a near $1 BILLION investment at build out. Unbelievable!!!