Former Savannah Film Services director Jay Self has sued Medient Studios in Chatham County for $60,000 in back pay and for the value of company stock he says he was promised.
Self was president of corporate affairs for Medient from December through late June, when Medient’s new CEO Jake Shapiro told him his services were no longer desired.
Shapiro told Self the company’s new management was “making significant reductions in overhead and attempting to refocus resources on the original vision of the company,” according to the lawsuit filed July 2 in the State Court of Chatham County.
Self said he received partial payment of $10,000 from Medient in April and May.
Self was dismissed by the city of Savannah on Sept. 30 after Paramount officials complained about difficulties obtaining filming permits from the city for the “SpongeBob Squarepants 2” movie.
Shapiro told members of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority at their meeting Thursday night that Medient has hired the architect who designed Pinewood Studios in Fayetteville.
The company is planning a movie and game production complex on the IDA’s 1,500-acre property at Interstate 16 and Old River Road.
Shapiro called former CEO Manu Kumaran’s lawsuit in Nevada a nuisance and said it amounts to nothing more than “sour grapes.”
He said he expects it to be resolved quickly in the current leadership’s favor.
A hearing on the lawsuit is set for Wednesday, July 23, in Nevada. Kumaran is petitioning for a court-appointed receiver to dissolve the company.