With the anticipation of the $117 million investment by Three Ring Studios, plans for one of the largest TV, gaming, music, and filming production studios in Georgia were unveiled during the Covington Newton Chamber Dinner on January 12, 2024. The plans for the immense pre-production, production and post-production studio are proposed near the Covington Municipal Airport and off Georgia Highway 142.

The business community came to support the Chamber’s annual event with a record turnout and were rewarded with a celebration focused on the lucrative filming industry. The lights, camera, action displays were not just hype. The state of Georgia declared 2024 to be the Year of Film. It was therefore fitting that keynote speaker, Rahim Carania of Three Ring Studios, shared his vision for the $117 investment in Covington.

According to Rahim Carania, the goal for Three Rings Studios will be to provide a facility where the multiple phases of video production are integrated together in one county, Newton County. The vision consists of building three campuses with more than 600,000 square feet of sound stage space, 250,000 square feet of office space, and 150,000 square feet of support and work space in Covington. The creation of approximately 1,600 jobs are anticipated for the first phase of the project.

With Three Ring Studios making their home in Covington-Newton County, Chamber President Ralph Staffins announced their investment as the Chamber’s Deal of the Year of 2016. The investment will spur further economic growth that could significantly impact the entire community. And while Covington-Newton County and the surrounding area have experienced growth from the lucrative film industry in the past several years, Rahim Carania said that the development of Three Ring Studios could “hit a whole new level of work in this area.”

In 2016, the TV and filming industry brought over $7 billion into the economy in Georgia. Known as Hollywood of the South, Covington-Newton County saw many of the productions that included the popular TV series such The Vampire Diaries and Sleepy Hollow, television movies such as Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, and films such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul.

In addition to the announcement of Three Ring Studios as the Deal of the Year, the Chamber announced Judge Horace J. Johnson Jr. as the recipient of the R.O. Arnold Award, Infinity Network Solutions as the Small Business of the Year, and Jack Moon as the recipient of the Spirit of Excellence Award. Congratulations to all the award recipients!