Third Eye Collective has had its finger on the pulse of Atlanta’s burgeoning underground art and music scene for a decade, and now they have new digs to show for it.
The popular multimedia studio and artist collaborative is expanding into a new 27,000-square-foot South Fulton location off Fulton Industrial Boulevard that will house up to 20 film sets with two cyclorama infinity walls, a half-acre backlot, three recording studios and two photography paper stations.
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
Since Third Eye Collective opened its original 7,500-square-foot location between Metropolitan Parkway and Murphy Avenue in 2012 at the recently rebranded MET Atlanta near the West End MARTA station, Georgia has grown into an internationally recognized entertainment hotspot fueled by its rich music tradition, natural scenery and appealing tax credits for film and television productions — productions that Third Eye Collective is targeting.
“With the new location, we are trying to get into more films — major motion films, commercials, set design and set building,” said Tad Daughety, who co-owns Third Eye Collective with Samuel Barfield. “Immediately upon arriving, we knew this place would be the one. The way it was set up, the size, a diamond in the rough.”
Since 2007, Georgia’s film industry has rocketed from a $25-million-a-year business to a record-setting $4 billion industry in 2021. For the year ending June 30, 2021, film and TV production companies spent nearly twice as much as they did in fiscal year 2020, when they generated about $2.2 billion.
Daughety said his company has evolved by also capturing business from YouTube creators and social media influencers.
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
“People want to invest in their dream now more than ever so we curated an environment for the new generation of Instagram influencers to come take pictures without having to build their own sets,” Daughety added. “Social media is always big for marketing but once people experience it in-person, they end up calling this place home.”
Over the years, Third Eye Collective developed a vast network of artists, managers, photographers, videographers, record label A&Rs and other entertainment industry professionals as its served as a magnet for artists and production teams like Rae Sremmurd, 808 Mafia and 30 Roc looking to film music videos, shoot photography and record music.
“We pride ourselves in being able to provide a vibe you can’t get anywhere else,” Daughety said. “With that being said, we really enjoy creatives that think outside the box. People that have a goal in mind and a plan to execute.”
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
Aside from its use as a location for filming and recording, Third Eye Collective will use the location as the headquarters for its management group and independent record label that previously operated as The Block Society.
Music is big business in the Peach State with about 20,000 individuals working in various aspects of Georgia’s music industry that generates an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development citing a 2011 study. Fulton County is home to one-third of Georgia’s music industry and more than 130 recording studios, according to a 2020 Sound Diplomacy study that was conducted in coordination with Georgia Music Partners and Fulton County.
“We’re an open submission-based label, and we’re always interested in hearing demos from artists who are interested in working with us on a project,” said head of artist management Greg Ashburn, who currently works with Jody Breeze, COFFIN, Drug Money, IG Leeky and JayOniel through the Third Eye Collective management group. “We also use our multimedia studio to create any content we need for the artists on any release through our record label at no additional expense to the artist.”
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
Credit: Courtesy of Third Eye Collective
Ashburn said one of his primary functions is to develop artists on its independent record label by creating blueprint release strategies then submitting releases to digital service providers like iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music in conjunction with growing the artists’ brands.
“TEC as a management group provides a foundation to help develop and grow upcoming artists that we see high potential for success in or also to provide more structure to bigger artists who already have their own platform,” he noted. “Our role with the management group is to oversee all of the business decisions for the clients on our roster and to help navigate how to keep their brands moving forward constantly.”
Third Eye Collective
4550 Commerce Circle, Atlanta. 404-558-1333, thirdeyecollective.com.
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