ATLANTA—Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced this week that MBS Equipment Company (MBSE) is opening its new east coast headquarters in Georgia. The new facility for MBSE—which claims it is the largest studio-based equipment company in the world for film, television, and events—will be based in Fayette County at Trilith Studios and will span 100,000 square feet, making it the company’s largest global hub, MBSE said.
"We are proud Georgia's business environment continues to attract quality companies like MBSE and gives them the tools necessary to invest, create jobs, and produce world-class entertainment," said Gov. Kemp. "From a steady workforce pipeline to a diverse array of industry assets, MBSE has everything productions need to make great television shows and films right here in Georgia, and we look forward to their continued growth in the Peach State."
MBSE says it ventured into Georgia in 2014 as one of the founding production support companies in the media park at Trilith Studios (then Pinewood Atlanta Studios). Loading out Ant-Man, the first production at the studios, with a five-person team from a gravel pad, its Atlanta operation quickly expanded to its current 45,000-square-foot building.
The new purpose-built space will be used to service its area clientele, including productions at over 75 Atlanta-area stages, a satellite facility in Savannah, and additional stateside location work. It will house an office for its nearly 100 team members, 75 who are full-time staff, as well as a creative work space for working crew members.
MBSE says the office space will allow members to collaborate and connect while also having access to MBSi (MBSE Innovations) team members on lighting solutions for upcoming projects that have unique technical requirements. While MBSE says it maintains the largest share of TV and rental inventory in the world, the company plans to house a majority of this supply at Trilith due to the volume of work there and in the state of Georgia as a whole.
"We supported the first production at Trilith Studios in 2014, and since then, we’ve proudly helped Georgia grow into one of the top production centers in the world," said Michael Newport, Executive Vice President of The MBS Group, the parent company of MBSE. "Our history with Trilith combined with Georgia’s smart tax incentive and impressive workforce makes Trilith Studios the natural place to locate our East Coast headquarters."
"MBSE is the lion in our ecosystem of 40+ companies at Trilith," said Frank Patterson, President and CEO of Trilith Studios. "Their size and strength comes from having a rich supply of the best tools in the industry for filmmakers to make their vision a reality, and their world-class services enable us to support any production of any scale."
MBSE and Trilith worked closely with the Georgia Film Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, on their location and expansion activities in the state. MBSE says it has hired and trained 95% of its team locally, and that it also regularly supports up-and-coming creatives in the State with production equipment and services, while training and hiring students from the Georgia Film Academy (GFA).
"We’re thrilled to see MBSE grow in the State of Georgia, where the entertainment industry continues to be a significant boon to the state’s economy," said Pat Wilson, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. "MBSE’s expansion shows how important Georgia’s talent and rich landscape is to the film and TV business and signals important growth to come in jobs and revenue for our state."
