Responding to increased demands for its services and the continuing growth of the broadcast and advertising industries in the southeast, R!OT Atlanta has completed a major expansion and reconstruction effort. The work has resulted in a complete makeover of the facility, providing clients and staff with an enhanced creative working environment.
New infrastructure was installed to support High Definition, and editorial, visual effects and finishing facilities were greatly enhanced in the renovation. Three new 5.1-capable mixing suites, equipped with Fairlight DREAM Constellations and MSofts server-based music and sound effects storage system, finish off the expansion. The project increases R!OT Atlantas overall space by more than 50%, adding a spacious community kitchen, outdoor patio tables and private client offices, along with a total make-over of the space.
R!OT Atlantas growth is indicative of the expansion of the advertising and broadcast industries in Atlanta, Miami and other southeastern markets, where advertising agencies and other media companies have been winning new business and adding staff. Area broadcasters are also increasing production across the board.
As a result, R!OT Atlanta is not only undertaking more projects, their clients are coming to them for a broader range of services. The new expansion is aimed at furthering that trend by enabling the company to offer its clients concept-through-completion production and post-production services. Recent projects include Fitzgerald + Co./Coke Zero, The Johnson Group/Mayfield Dairies, TNTs INTO THE WEST, BBDO Atlanta/Cingular PARTY, Austin Kelley/Ga Lottery and TNTs THE CLOSER.
Our expansion is an aggressive but thoughtful response to the growth we have experienced over the last several years and the further growth we anticipate in the near term, said Buddy Hall, R!OT Atlanta managing director. We are particularly excited to add HD and 5.1 services as that is something our clients clearly need.
The improvements reflect R!OTs evolution over the past few years into a full-service creative services provider. Weve broadened our editorial and design services, said Chuck Brock, R!OT Atlanta vp, creative services. That has helped us to attract more opportunities in commercial advertising and broadcast branding. Our clients view us as more of a creative resource and turn to us earlier in the process.
Brock observed that the new space also has additional capacity for future growth and expansion. R!OT Atlanta will rely on market demand to determine whether to use the rooms for creative editorial, visual effects and finishing, or telecine services, he said. Currently, R!OT Atlanta has five Avid suites (with Unity), one Avid Nitris DS, two Smoke systems, one Flame, a design studio and three sound design/mixing suites.
R!OTs new audio studios enable the company to better accommodate original music production, voice-over recording and ADR. We now have the capability to handle any type of project that walks through the door; be it spot work, promos, long format or independent film, said senior Audio Engineer Matt Melberg. The increase in speed and quality allows us to take our work to the next level.
Additionally, R!OT Atlanta, which does not currently offer telecine services, has become a host site for Ascent Medias UP Satellite service, which provides remote, realtime, color calibrated telecine sessions with A-list colorists at R!OT Santa Monica, Company 3 (Santa Monica and New York) and Encore Hollywood.
Matthew Kennedy of Kennedy Associates, Atlanta, served as project architect for R!OTs expansion. Freese Construction is the general contractor. Interior design is by Walter Mazzanti of Abitato Design. Bret Thoeny of Boto Design is handling design for the audio suites. Systems integration services are being supplied by Ascent Media Systems and Technology Services (formerly known as A.F. Associates).
R!OT Atlanta is a creative boutique located in Buckhead, in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. R!OT Atlanta has grown steadily over its 20 years in business and offers creative editorial, design, animation, finishing, compositing, sound design, 5.1 mixing and original music. R!OT Atlanta is part of the R!OT family with sister studios in Santa Monica and Manhattan.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
