The center of the billion-dollar Georgia film industry was in DeKalb County Thursday morning. Electric Owl Studios, a 300,000-square-foot production facility, was welcomed into the state’s growing film industry family when Electric Owl Studios co-founders Dan Rosenfelt and cut a red ribbon inside soundstage number two.
Electric Owl Studios is the state’s first LEED Gold certified studio.
DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond (right), DeKalb County Commissioners Mereda Davis Johnson (District 5) and Lorraine Cochran-Johnson (Super District 7) and others made their way to a stage to talk about how DeKalb County is leading the way for the state in regards to the film industry.
“Think about, the greenest movie production studio on the face of the Earth is located in DeKalb County, Georgia,” said Thurmond. “Georgia is an international leader and DeKalb is the capital.”
Davis Johnson echoed Thurmond’s statement, “One year, two months and 14 days ago we gathered here at this site and here we are today with a $50 million investment in South DeKalb.”
The new studio, which is equipped with six sound stages, EV charging stations, solar panels on the Mill and LED lighting throughout. There is also a food dehydration machine that will aid in waste management. The food that would normally be thrown away will be turned into compost soil.
There are even plans to have three bee hives on the premises in order to pollinate flowers within a three-mile radius of the studio, according to Rosenfelt. The bee hives will make their debut in August.
“We are truly setting the worldwide bar for sustainability,” Rosenfelt said.
Access to jobs
Electric Owl Studios is located across Redan Road from the Indian Creek MARTA station, a huge bonus for employees that do not drive, like the security guards and craft services, for example.
“The jobs and livable wages for our residents is something we can get excited about,” Davis Johnson said.