As promised several years ago, the state of Georgia is becoming a major hub for television and film production. Longtime industry veteran Tammy Williams and her business partner Gary Guidry of G-Square Events will be building a 60-acre studio named Cinema South Studios just north of Fayette County coming this March.The move will make Williams, who runs Tammy’Dele Films, the first Black businesswoman to become majority owner of a studio in Georgia.
As construction begins in March, the owners are hoping that production on the lot can occur beginning in 2023. Cinema South Studios will consist of an office building, state-of-the-art theater, 11 soundstages, and a studio backlot. The groundbreaking facility will come at a cost of $135 million.
“The demand for soundstages is happening globally and the ownership rarely looks like us let alone an African American woman,” Guidry said. “When 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 that buying the land in Fayetteville, GA was a sound decision with the talents of her at the helm.”
Williams’ credits include repeat roles as a segment producer and writer for the Trumpet Awards and Stellar Gospel Music Awards, along with serving as digital producer for the 2019 Black Music Honors TV special. She’s directed the television series My Destiny Place and a documentary Free to Dance: The Bishop Paul S. Morton and Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship Story.
Guidry, a well-known investor and former accountant, comes with his own list of credits. The Houston, Texas native and Texas Southern University graduate has executive produced several star-studded Black films, such as Men Cry in the Dark, Friends and Lovers, 3 Ways to Get a Husband, and Cheaper to Keep Her. He’s worked with proven talent Billy Dee Williams, Richard Roundtree, Leon, Allen Payne, Mel Jackson, and Monica Calhoun, to name a few. He is also co-founder of I’m Ready Productions, a multi-million dollar traveling theatre production.
