Atlanta's Tyler Perry Studios, home of film innovation and sets, has sold its former Atlanta property to Areu Bros., a film company led by the former president of TPS.
Areu Bros. finished the paperwork for the purchase earlier this month of the 57-acre complex in southwest Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The property reportedly sold for $18.5 million and closed on Dec. 13, 2018.
To purchase the complex, the Areu Bros. raised $4.5 million in a recent funding round, according to an SEC filing.
In the fall, I was given the opportunity to explore the new location of Tyler Perry Studios at Fort McPherson, thanks to ChooseATL, which has developed its own platform, THEA, to create a community and place for up-and-coming filmmakers in Atlanta to be discovered. I got an inside look at how TPS stays on top of the ever-changing tech of filming and editing.
During my visit, I saw the studio where scenes of "First Man," with Ryan Gosling---released in 2018---were filmed. The company constructed a full model rocket at the stage that hung from an intricate set of baseboards in the ceiling that can withstand the weight of one million pounds---which I also got to walk across.
I saw countless filming locations from wood cabins to a mansion with three facades at the 57-acre former army base. I immediately recognized Madea's house, the fictional home of Perry's notoriously cranky grandma he plays in several films. Film sets seem to go above and beyond, with even a custom built yacht in the middle of a field for scenes set on the ocean.
According to TPS representatives, not only does the studio keep up with the latest technology for filming, such as a new high tech camera that allows filmmakers to approach production easier, but has a high focus on editing innovations. Though Georgia has taken off in the film industry as a top filming location, most editing and post-production processes still happen on the West Coast. The studio is trying to bring that talent out here.
Here's a gallery of the campus of the new Tyler Perry Studios.
