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Hollywood South

Ken Stewart

When the State created the tax incentive program in the early 2000s to attract movie and TV producers to Louisiana, the hope was to turn Louisiana into Hollywood South. 15 years later, more movie and TV shows are shot in Louisiana than in any other state in the country. A big chunk of those productions have been filmed in Baton Rouge, at theCeltic Media Centre. Celtic is the largest studio in the state, with seven sound stages totaling more than 150-thousand square feet over four acres. Blockbuster hits like Twilight: Breaking Dawn were shot there.

 

Patrick Mulhearn is Director of Celtic Studios. 

Celtic leases office space to movie productions businesses, among them Red Entertainment Group, the company behind 2014's sleeper hit God’s Not Dead, which has grossed over $60m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit Ken Stewart
Jarred Coates

Jarred Coates is the founding partner of Red Entertainment and co-producer of God's Not Dead. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit Ken Stewart
Amy MItchell-Smith

Amy Mitchel Smith left behind a career at industry-leader Miramax in New York to head up the Baton Rouge Film Commission, a gig she walked away from recently after 7 years at the helm, to found her own production company, Cienega Motion Picture Group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit Ken Stewart
Stehanie Riegel, ready for her closeup at Mansur's on the Boulevard

Stephanie Riegel takes us behind the scenes of the Baton Rouge film business in this episode of Out to Lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Ken Stewart atMansur's on the Boulevard.