CANTON – Mississippi has long been the backdrop for countless documentaries and major motion pictures including My Dog Skip, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, A Time To Kill and Double Jeopardy. And with the construction of a new film studio in Canton, officials hope many more film projects will find their way to the Magnolia state.
The Mississippi Development Authority and the Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau recently announced that the first purpose-built studio in the state will be based in Canton.
The Mississippi Film Studios @ Canton will be dedicated to the attraction and support of film and television production, and it will complement the Mississippi Motion Picture Incentive Program in developing the Mississippi film industry.
The Mississippi Motion Picture Incentive Program is administered by the Mississippi Development Authority’s (MDA’s) Tourism Division to encourage motion picture production in the state.
The film studio will create at least 25 to 30 permanent jobs and could employ up to 150 to 250 part-time and full-time workers when film production is underway.
“The Mississippi Film Studios @ Canton will do much to bolster film production in Mississippi,” said Gray Swoope, executive director of MDA. “I am proud that this project will be able to support MDA’s Mississippi Motion Picture Incentive Program and build infrastructure for this growing industry in the state. I give credit to…our legislative leaders for passing this legislation six years ago to encourage the production of films and television programs in Mississippi.”
The Canton studio will include a 36,000-square-foot sound stage clear span with a ceiling height of 45 feet at its peak and 3,000 square feet of production office space.
The stage and offices will undergo renovations in early April and are expected to be completed by mid-May. The stage and offices will sit on a 5.8-acre site adjacent to an additional 25 acres of proposed expansion land.
The production facility will be managed by the Los Angeles-based consultant group RoadTown Enterprises Ltd. The principles of RoadTown Enterprises have over 30 years of experience in studio design, construction, management and marketing.
The Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau first began working to develop and nurture the film industry in the Madison County area in 1996.
After several years of researching and obtaining funding for a production facility, the bureau saw the opportunity to develop the Mississippi Film Studios @ Canton.
The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), the Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Canton and the Madison County Economic Development Authority worked together to bring this project to fruition.
The Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau also operates an education program, The Young Filmmakers, and maintains a Film and Television Museum, a thriving tourism attraction, in Canton.
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