New Florida film studio could boost production in downtown Miami

The Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) built the 88,000 square-foot studio, which offers two 15,000 square-foot stages. Viacom is set to launch a multiplatform hub at the facility.

"We are grateful for the vision and investment from Omni CRA to build a top-tier studio and post-production facility here in Miami," commented Chris Cooney, chief operating officer of EUE/Screen Gems Studios.

"This is a groundbreaking partnership for us and for Viacom, designed to capitalise on the best of Miami - its terrific talent pool and Viacom's expertise in production. EUE/Screen Gems Studios brings a high level of service skills to facilitate their production.

“The City of Miami and specifically the Omni CRA is able to kick start an exciting redevelopment of the district as a hub for the creative arts.”

While the new studio is a positive step for Miami, the city and indeed the state as a whole faces a major challenge attracting studio productions as Florida lacks an effective filming incentive.

Big-budget movies and TV shows set in Florida typically shoot locally for just a few days before using another part of the world as a stand-in. Bryan Cranston’s thriller Infiltrator and Tim Burton’s next feature as director, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, both organised short Florida shoots when local authorities put together small-scale incentive payments.

As a more recent example, Ben Affleck’s upcoming film Live by Night has chosen to rebuild the Tampa neighbourhood of Ybor City in Brunswick, Georgia, to take advantage of a generous filming incentive programme.

“Building on the strength of the Miami brand and leveraging our popular location as a top destination for business and pleasure, the film studio will attract new opportunities and employ hundreds locally,” added Marc D Sarnoff, City of Miami commissioner and chairman of the OMNI CRA.

“The establishment of the Viacom International Studios in Partnership with EUE/Screen Gems Studios will develop Miami's creative industry, one of the fastest growing and most exciting sectors of south Florida's economy.”

For more on filming in Florida, see our production guide.