Following the global success of Netflix’s “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” its executive producer, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, plans to invest $124 million in a new production campus in Shreveport, La.
His entertainment company, G-Unit Film & Television, will develop three venues in the northern Louisiana city, as announced in a release Monday. The new production base is expected to generate an economic impact of nearly $19 billion and support over 6,000 jobs throughout the state, according to an independent economic impact study commissioned by the company.
The development will renovate former facilities owned by Stageworks and Millennium Studios, as well as build a dome-like immersive venue and a new park. According to the Louisiana Economic Development office, the state said it agreed to provide $50 million “in performance-based funding” for infrastructure at these sites.
“By reinvesting in downtown Shreveport and upgrading existing assets to create state-of-the-art entertainment and production facilities, we are creating jobs, inspiring hope, attracting new productions, and giving the entire entertainment industry a reason to build their futures right here,” said Jackson in a press release. “My goal is to turn Northwest Louisiana into the premier destination for film, music, and live entertainment on a national scale. All Roads Lead to Shreveport.”
Jackson revealed the blueprints for the studios around two years ago and was granted a long-term lease with the city last year. The New York-born rapper has worked closely with local and state officials to help advance economic growth and tourism as part of an effort to bring the entertainment industry to the Southern state.
The “In da Club” rapper founded G-Unit Film & Television in 2005. The company is responsible for producing shows for major streamers and networks like ABC, BET+, Netflix and Hulu. Some of its biggest projects include the Starz series “Power,” which Jackson produced, directed and co-starred in, and the show’s many spinoffs. It’s also expanded beyond film and TV to work in audio formats like podcasting.
Recently, G-Unit had one of its biggest successes with “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” the four-part docuseries examining Sean “Diddy” Combs and the allegations against him and his Bad Boy Entertainment empire. Over the summer, the rapper was found guilty of two counts of transportation for purposes of prostitution and is serving time in federal prison. The docuseries debuted at No. 1 on Netflix in more than 50 countries , and notched 40 million views worldwide in the first two weeks.
The studio is in production on an original boxing drama series, “Fightland,” which will air on Starz, and is working to develop “Black Klansman” author Ron Stallworth’s nonfiction work, “The Gangs of Zion,” into a Hulu show called “Hip Hop Cop.”
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