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The Savannah College of Art and Design has bought the beleaguered Meddin Studios, a SCAD spokesman said this week.
“I can confirm that we have completed a deal for Meddin Studios, but we have not yet finalized our plans for the acquisition,” said Jose Mallabo, SCAD’s senior vice president for public relations and marketing.
Attempts to reach Meddin principal Nick Gant Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Gant, a 2004 SCAD graduate, opened Meddin Studios in late 2009 in the old Meddin Brothers meatpacking plant on Louisville Road. The all-digital studio was designed as a one-stop production shop, complete with soundstages, audio and video editing bays and digital storage libraries.
In its first three and a half years, the studio worked on numerous television productions and more than a dozen films. Most notable were “Savannah,” a film starring Jim Caviezel as real-life Savannahian Ward Allen, who developed a partnership with a freed slave in the early 20th century; and “CBGB,” a biopic of the iconic New York music club widely considered the birthplace of punk rock after launching the careers of such acts as the Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith and Talking Heads.
Even before its star began to rise, Meddin — a $5 million venture financed largely through a Small Business Administration loan — was treated to an early 2010 visit from President Barack Obama, who came to tout the fledgling business as an example of what he hoped to accomplish through his small business initiatives.
In late 2012, Maddin said it was outgrowing its space on Louisville Road and announced plans to buy the former Citi Trends distribution warehouse next to the Greyhound bus station downtown. At the time, Gant said the studio would relocate to the larger facility once its renovation plans were approved by the Savannah Historic District Board of Review.
A falling star
But things began to unravel when the studio ran into financial problems.
In July 2013, Meddin filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to avoid the company’s sale in foreclosure. At the time, Gant said the bankruptcy was due to unpaid bills owed by clients, although the clients have disputed the allegation.
In February, as the studio was still struggling to stay afloat, 27-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Jones was struck and killed by a train while working on location with a film crew on “Midnight Rider,” a production based at Meddin Studios.
The film, a biopic about musician Gregg Allman starring William Hurt, shut down production a week later.
Gant was originally listed as an executive producer on the film but later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he had no role in the day-to-day production decisions, which he said were made by the film’s production company, Unclaimed Freight, and its director, Randall Miller.
SCAD’s interest in Meddin comes as the college boasts a full film and television program, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees in a number of disciplines. Its annual Savannah Film Festival draws celebrities, guests and films from around the globe.
While SCAD’s Mallabo, contacted this week, would not comment beyond confirmation of the sale, he said information on the transaction and the college’s plans for the facility should be available soon.
“We hope to be able to announce something within the next week or so” he said.