Lights, camera, Athens: $60 million sound-stage development breaks ground

Andrew Shearer, Athens Banner-Herald
·1 min read
Athena Studios CEO Joel Harber speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 16, 2021, at 900 Athena Drive in Athens, Ga., the site of a 45-acre film and television production facility expected to be running at full capacity by November 2023.
Athena Studios CEO Joel Harber speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 16, 2021, at 900 Athena Drive in Athens, Ga., the site of a 45-acre film and television production facility expected to be running at full capacity by November 2023.

While watching the credits of Disney's "Jungle Cruise" one night, Athens-based real estate developer Joel Harber noticed the movie was made on location in Hawaii and on sound stages in Atlanta. With a desire to put his hometown on the map for Georgia film production, Harber began his own quest to make that a reality.

Cut to Tuesday, when Athena Studios broke ground on a $60 million, 45-acre sound-stage development at 900 Athena Drive, which will feature more than 350,000 square feet of space for film and television production providing multiple sound stages, support buildings, production offices and a state-of-the-art educational facility.

Athena Studios is a partnership between Athens-based commercial real estate development and brokerage firm Reynolds Capital and local developer Tim Burgess. Harber, a UGA graduate and president of Reynolds, will serve as CEO of the studio, which expects to be operating at full capacity in two years.

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This artist's rendering provided by Talking Dog advertising and public relations agency shows an overview of Athena Studios, a 350,000-square-foot movie and television production facility that broke ground on Nov. 16, 2021, at 900 Athena Drive in Athens, Ga.
This artist's rendering provided by Talking Dog advertising and public relations agency shows an overview of Athena Studios, a 350,000-square-foot movie and television production facility that broke ground on Nov. 16, 2021, at 900 Athena Drive in Athens, Ga.

One sound stage at Athena will be used by the University of Georgia and the Georgia Film Academy to train the next generation of film industry professionals. MFA Film and TV production students will be moving from their current 2,000-square-foot space on campus into 14,000 square feet at Athena Studios.

Harber told the Banner-Herald that the studio's primary goal is to stay in constant production by employing 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," said Harber. "I'm hoping that some of that gravitates towards us."

This artist's rendering provided by Talking Dog advertising and public relations agency shows the entrance of Athena Studios, a 350,000-square-foot movie and television production facility that broke ground on Nov. 16, 2021, at 900 Athena Drive in Athens, Ga.
This artist's rendering provided by Talking Dog advertising and public relations agency shows the entrance of Athena Studios, a 350,000-square-foot movie and television production facility that broke ground on Nov. 16, 2021, at 900 Athena Drive in Athens, Ga.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: 45-acre film and TV production studio breaks ground in Athens