$180m film and TV facility BlueStar Studios to open in Atlanta

A new film and TV production facility, BlueStar Studios, is set to open in Forest Park, Atlanta, Georgia next summer.

According to Variety, the campus will comprise 18 purpose-built stages with over 600,000 sq. ft of space – ranging from 5,000 sq. ft. to over 40,000 sq. ft. each.

The studio - worth a total of $180m in investment - will be situated on the grounds of a former military base at Fort Gillem. Development will continue in phases through to 2024.

Atlanta-based Gala Media Capital, a division of private equity firm Peachtree Group, bankrolled construction of phase one of the studio development.

“BlueStar Studios offers production teams and studios top-of-the-line stages equipped with the latest tools and tech in a beautiful, historic campus conveniently located 10 minutes from the Atlanta airport,” said BlueStar founder and CEO Rich Goldberg. The facility, he added, is “designed with creativity in mind, and our infrastructure provides the ultimate in bandwidth and redundancy.”

There are also 45,000 sq. ft. of former motor pool, woodworking and metalworking buildings for mill and wardrobe. Amenities include a nature trail, on-site café and a dog run.

Developers collaborated with the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to preserve the 1940s-era architecture of the site, including six historic buildings which are being repurposed to ensure preservation of the former army base’s architectural legacy.

“Fort Gillem has long been a significant presence in our community, so we’re thrilled to see such a transformational development through this substantial investment in a technology-forward way. BlueStar Studios preserves the charm and history of the surrounding area while also bringing new production capabilities and boosting our local economy,” said Forest Park mayor, Angelyne Butler. “We look forward to welcoming productions and their highly-skilled professionals to Forest Park.”