Just as Women’s History Month (aka Black HERstory Month) comes to a close, film producer and director Tammy Williams has just cemented her own unique place in the history books.
Williams has now become the first Black woman to own a $135 million production studio and post-production facility in Atlanta (take that Tyler Perry!). The studio, Cinema South Studios, is set to break ground this month with an expected opening date for the first two sound stages sometime in 2023, according to . Williams also partnered with business partner Gary Guidry, CEO of G-Square Events and founded Cinema South Studios.
More on the details of the studio per Deadline:
With 60 acres, the studio is fully loaded with 11 sound stages, a back-lot, lighting and grip rental house, props and wardrobe. The production facility will include a transportation company and an office building to house a theater and post-production.
In a statement regarding the news, Guidry explained: “The demand for soundstages is happening globally, and the ownership rarely looks like us, let alone an African American woman. I choose to invest, I evaluate the need of the business and the ownership. Investing in Tammy Williams and her team of professionals convinced me buying the land in Fayetteville, GA.”
According to Williams, plans for this studio have been in the works for the last 12 years but now it looks like it’s finally coming to fruition.
“We’ve been patient,” she told the . “This has not been an overnight thing, this vision for us.”
Williams’ new studio will also house her production company, , —her job training and educational divisions, and Cinema South Film Academy. Since 2012, Tammy’Dele Films Job Training Workshops have launched film and television careers across the United States. The practical hands-on workshops garners Tammy’Dele Films Workshops as one of the most sought-after film and television training hubs, according to the .
