01.11.06
(Gary Perilloux)
 It's hardly the first warehouse project for Brendan O'Connor but it's likely to become his highest-profile one. The Celtic Group CEO announced plans today for a full-production film studio in a Baton Rouge warehouse once designed as a music studio. Located southwest of the Interstate 12-Airline Highway junction, the studio's first phase will be completed in late 2006. O'Connor, whose marine and inland logistics company does more than $65 million in annual business, bought the former studio of rapper Master P for just under $1 million in late 2005. Called the Celtic Media Centre, the 11-acre project will be the first to bring full production and post-production capabilities for movies, TV, videos and music to one building in the city. Strategic partners are Chris Fink of Nova Features, a company that will contract with Celtic to oversee studio work brought to Louisiana; and Michael Moore of Hollywood, Calif.-based Raleigh Studios, which will work as a design consultant during construction and manage the Baton Rouge studio. O'Connor says Louisiana's latest film incentive, a tax credit for infrastructure work, convinced him to take the plunge into films. Indoor soundproof sets will be offered at the Celtic studio. "As other states pass tax credits for filmmakers, it will be absolutely critical that facilities such as this be available to motion picture producers," says O'Connor. |