LOCAL STUDIO
We don’t want to phase out the small guys in the business. What we do instead of raising prices is open up additional facilities that are different and offer props and equipment that no one else offers. We also create standing sets that are hard to find, such as a jail cell, a hospital room, and other sets that are too expensive or nearly impossible to book at an actual facility. We also allow people to bring in their own lighting and other gear, which is not standard at most studios. We want our customers happy and using what they are comfortable with. CAN YOU GIVE SOME OF THE BIG NAMES THAT HAVE RENTED YOUR STUDIOS? Our studios are ideal for film, TV, commercial and corporate videos, automotive or large product photography. Most studios half this size charge well above us. There are too many to mention them all, but I’ll give you a few. Film producer Joel Silver, Shaquille O’Neil, actress Catherine Zeta Jones, corporations like Home Depot and Disney, and a host of rap artists like Big Boi, TI, and Ludacris. We host 1,000 productions in our studios a year. TELL US ABOUT ATLANTA FILMWORKS. In 2013 I opened Atlanta Filmworks Studios & Stages with two great partners (Glenn Murer & Mark Henderson). It is a 57,000 square foot film studio with production offices. Since our opening, we have been booked out straight by AMC with no down time. Being booked out for the past seven years tells the story of comfort and trust. We work hard to keep our clients comfortable at our studios. Our clients trust that we will continue to treat them with the upmost professionalism for the duration of their stay and beyond. We are owned and managed by long time industry professionals local to Atlanta and we understand the needs for a seamless production. Daniel Minchew By Autumn Mur r ay
D aniel Minchew, the owner and founder of Studio Space Atlanta & Atlanta Filmworks Studios, took time out of his busy schedule to tell us all about his film and video rental studios around Atlanta. Minchew studied video production at the Art Institute of Atlanta and graduated in 2003. In 2008, after working for about six years in jobs that he didn’t see himself doing long-term, he and a group of three photographer friends rented space at McCall Drive and opened a video and photo studio rental business. By 2010, his three business partners went on to pursue other interests while Minchew stayed true to his vision and continued on to make Studio Space Atlanta what it is today—Atlanta’s most trusted film, photo, and TV studio; and the most booked studio in the southeast. The company offers prop and equipment rentals as well as studio space. Studio Space Atlanta has two locations with a total of five rental studios. In April of 2020, they are opening a four-studio facility in Smyrna with 25K square feet. The original location of Studio Space Atlanta on McCall Drive has expanded over the years from eight thousand square feet to now 20K square feet. The facility has four CYC walls, 2 green CYCs, has vehicle access, three loading docks, six make-up/dressing rooms, full kitchen, five client lounges, conference area, free wireless internet, and five standing sets. HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR STUDIO RENTAL PRICING? We run Studio Space Atlanta a little differently than other studios. I’ve built the business from the ground up, so I’ve been able to tailor our bookings and pricing towards what I’ve seen people need and want. We rent half day, full day, hourly, and have exclusive rates available. We haven’t raised our prices in over 10 years. Instead of raising our prices, we want to offer more.
Daniel Minchew
Minchew serves on the executive board of the Georgia Studio & Infrastructure Alliance, which is an advocate for the film industry in Georgia. A key initiative of the Alliance is its on-going sharing of stories about Georgians building careers and changing their lives through employment and opportunity in the state’s film and television industry. They recently published the We Are Georgia film book, which highlights the everyday worker in the film industry across Georgia. They are handing it out to local legislators and others for them to see the impact of the amount of jobs that the film industry brings to Georgia.
Pricing and additional details are listed on their website at www.studiospaceatl.com
Atlanta Filmworks Studio space
Photos courtesy of Daniel Minchew
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