Pinewood Studios Atlanta, Fayetteville, GA Makes First Political Error

Pinewood Studios Atlanta Fayetteville, Georgia – the near-300-acre movie studio complex slated to open this month as production of MARVEL’s Ant-Man with Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd gets underway – has already got off on the wrong political foot with the Fayetteville and Peachtree City community.

And considering the excitement as reflected by the comments on my first of many videos on this:

Who ever’s making the call that led to this communiity messaging error should be reined in – fast.

A by-invitation-only opening gala to be held this Saturday evening has got many in the area talking because tickets for it were supposed to be “sold” via “local non-profits” in Fayetteville, according to the local newspaper The Citizen.

Trouble is, no one can find a list of “local non-profits.” There’s not one in the website of The Citizen, and the Fayette Chamber Of Commerce has no mention of the event on the front page of its website.

And the “Chamber for Good” website has no mention of the gala, even as the The Citizen article points to the “Chamber for Good” as the program around which the non-profits are distributing the tickets.

Wild, man.

The Citizen reports that “At least one organization, Christian City, is giving its share of the tickets away to its patrons for appreciation for earlier donations. Other nonprofits are selling their tickets to raise money.” The trouble is, the tickets cost $250 (which this blogger can afford, but not everyone can, and I’m out of town, anyway) and even more troubling, Pinewood Studios itself is acting as if it has nothing officially to do with the event.

Meanwhile, commenters over at The Citizen have concerns over how the party is being thrown in such a away as to thumb its nose at local fire marshal group limit laws. But even more interesting is how The Citizen later eliminated those negative comments from the website.

That aside, the bottom line is the introduction of Pinewood Studios Atlanta Fayetteville, GA has been mis-handled.

What the owners of the studio should have done, and still can do, is have a real open house at the studio on a Saturday between 2 pm and 5 pm that is focused on giving high school students a look at the facility. A limited number of tickets should be given out for free at the studio on a first-come-first-served basis on that day, starting one day before the event.

The day could include a performance from one of the high-school marching bands, and also a list of the kind of jobs that people can apply for now, and in the future.

That would help address the many questions that Fayetteville residents have about employment, and boy do I get a lot of them.

And No, I’m Not In Fayetteville

As I wrote earlier, I’m not in Fayetteville now, I’m on the West Coast. And my schedule is such that I couldn’t have flown back to be at the Saturday gala if I wanted to go. But this isn’t about me, it’s about Pinewood Studios being a good addition to Fayetteville, rather than one that just upsets people by sending an unnecessary message of exclusivity.

If I’m not mistaken, it’s that attitude that caused the South Bucks Town Council to reject Pinewood Studios’s bid to expand there not once, but twice. Pinewood Studios can’t bring that attitude to Georgia, and it’s not enough to say that Saturday’s event is private as Andrew M Smith, the Director of Strategy and Communications Pinewood Shepperton Pictures said to me in an email on Thursday, or in fairness:

Thank you for you email. The events on Friday and Saturday are private events by invitation only. You might wish to approach the organisers of these events.

Kind regards,

Andrew

Frankly, I’m pleased as punch that the studio is open, but I’m now certain Pinewood Studios may have given too much control to the local builders and didn’t stop to put rules of engagement with the community in place for them to follow.

Pinewood Studios Atlanta Fayetteville should not be for the rich in the community, it should be for the business of film-making. Period.

This area of the country is, well, just that – the country. People in Fayetteville are nice, sweet, caring. They’re not rich for the most part, at least not by levels I’m used to in the San Francisco Bay Area. They want better jobs and a better economy to match their already rich sprit.

They deserve it.

I think Google and YouTube can show them how to do it. It’s time for a YouTube Creators Space in Atlanta, much like the one in LA.

Ah, this one:

Something for everyone, that all can benefit from.

Stay tuned.