Miami Omni CRA opens EUE/Screen Gems Studios

The Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, in conjunction with EUE/Screen Gems Studios, officially opened Florida’s newest film and television studio on Oct. 5.

It was announced during the opening that the EUE/Screen Gems Studio Miami, 50 NW 14 St., will serve as the production hub for the international media giant Viacom and Viacom International Media Networks’ (VIMN). Viacom said it will occupy the entire 88,000-square-foot space. Viacom’s global entertainment brands include Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.

“With the announcement of the arrival of Viacom to the Omni area, the nation’s sixth largest broadcasting and cable company, the city of Miami is sending a strong signal to the film and television industry that we are open for business,” said Miami Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff, chair of the OMNI Community Redevelopment Agency.

“Building on strength of the Miami brand and leveraging our immensely popular location as a top destination for business and pleasure, the film studio will attract new opportunities and employ hundreds locally.”

The Omni CRA bought the land and the building in 2011. Since construction began in 2014, hundreds of construction jobs have been created. EUE/Screen Gems Studios will lease the facility for 10 years with an option to renew for nine years. The annual lease payment will be $100,000 plus an 11 percent gross revenue share. Few, if any, CRAs in the State of Florida have capitalized on public private-partnerships to create a source of revenue, apart from tax increment financing (TIF), to invest back into the community.

“Today, we have taken another major step toward revitalizing the Omni neighborhood within the city of Miami,” said Pieter Bockweg, executive director of the Omni CRA. “We have transformed a dilapidated building into a thriving economic engine that is creating hundreds of good-paying jobs, increasing economic development within the Omni area and revitalizing Miami’s film and television industry.”

The new studio, with two fully operational film sound stages of 15,000 square feet each, a 50-foot roof, 40-foot grid height, and approximately 15,000 square feet of offices, editing suites, talent support space, and accessory rooms, will serve productions of all sizes, including major movies, television series and independent films.

“We welcome Viacom as a long-term partner at our new Miami studio, said Chris Cooney, chief operating officer of EUE/Screen Gems studios. “Our company has worked closely with Viacom to develop a facility worthy of a dynamic content producer. Today, we celebrate our relationship with Viacom, and we applaud our partners at the Omni CRA, whose vision and efforts have made this building possible.”

In addition to the studio, the Omni CRA has spearheaded numerous other economic development and quality-of-life enhancement projects, including the financing of the Port Tunnel, the multi-million dollar investments in Margaret Pace Park and Museum Park, as well as the establishment of the Omni CRA police force.

According to Viacom, VIMN Americas’ Miami headquarters is responsible for driving Viacom’s businesses across Latin America and Canada and is the production hub for VIMN Americas production unit, which creates content for Viacom International’s brand portfolio. The studio location offers Viacom International Media Networks access to a pool of highly skilled and multilingual talent essential to creating global productions in multiple languages. The facilities will include two modern sound stages equipped to create a variety of content simultaneously, from daily scripted series, music specials and game shows to short-form content for mobile, digital and on-air.


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