Film studio plans to open this summer
♦ The film production facility will be at 510 Broad St.
Entertainment industry entrepreneur Maria Guerra-stoll started renovations this week on the building at 510 Broad St. that will be home to her Playa Azul Media Studios film and television production center.
Guerra-stoll hopes to have the second floor redone and ready to move into within about 12 weeks. But she said as is the case with many older buildings, it could take a little longer. Back in the late 1800s, the original building at that site housed the Rainbow Fire Company No. 1.
She’s expecting to put close to half a million dollars into the improvements.
The Playa Azul space will take up about half the square footage of the second floor. For the time being, Jamwich will remain on the first floor.
Having a restaurant below her studios offers some construction challenges, Guerra-stoll said. But she hopes Jamwich will stay in that location because it offers a tremendous advantage in terms of quick meals and catering.
Choate Construction is her general contractor for the renovations.
The company has already chosen a series of local subcontractors for the project — something Guerra-stoll said is very important to her. Subcontractors with offices in Rome include Agan Plumbing, ATCO Fire Protection, Bestway Construction Services and Miller
Electrical Contractors.
Her future plans, however, go well beyond 510 Broad St.
Guerra-stoll has been an architect for Tyler Perry’s studios in Atlanta since 2007 and is hoping to do for Rome what Perry did for Atlanta.
Plans for incentive packages
for other filmmakers, working through the Rome Floyd Chamber and the city, are already in the works.
One of the reasons she brought the studios to Rome is the strong independent film industry that has evolved in tandem with the Rome
International Film Festival.
The nature of Rome’s historic district the rivers and natural resources in the Rome area also make for an excellent “back-lot” for production. A lot of her film work will take advantage of the community locations, she said.
PAM Studios already has a series of projects filming around Rome. Guerra-stoll also is working on new projects and, according to her publicist, Amy Parrish, she will be meeting with major network leaders about a project next week.
The company anticipates a community-wide grand opening and celebration once work at the studio is completed this summer.
Additional information about PAM Studios Rome is available online at www. pam-studios.com.