FAQs
Shadowbox Studios is an owner, operator and developer of purpose-built, state-of-the-art soundstage facilities in key film and television production markets around the world.
We have been a committed partner to DeKalb County for nearly a decade and are a fixture in Georgia’s entertainment industry.
Shadowbox still owns and operates a global film and TV studio business, including our existing Atlanta studio in DeKalb County.
As demand for digital infrastructure has grown, we identified this site as an opportunity to leverage our existing presence in the county and deliver a project that creates lasting economic benefit for the community.
DeKalb County is an ideal location for digital infrastructure: strong electric power access, existing industrial zoning rules that permit this use by right, and an industrial site location that minimizes disturbances to local residents and businesses.
Key elements of the necessary power infrastructure, like high voltage power lines, already run across the property.
The site is not adjacent to any residential neighborhoods – it is instead surrounded by Interstate 285, an active railroad line, truck depots, and an industrial park, which provide natural buffering between the facility and surrounding communities.
No. Shadowbox will cover all costs for its energy supply and any required grid upgrades.
Existing ratepayers will not pay more because of this project, and this commitment is backed by Georgia's Public Service Commission rules, which require large electricity users to fund their own infrastructure upgrades.
The project will generate thousands of construction jobs during the build phase, many of which will be available to qualified local workers.
Once fully operational, the facility will support approximately 275 permanent jobs.
The data center will use a closed-loop cooling system, designed to minimize water consumption over the life of the facility.
Under this design, following testing and commissioning, the system is filled once at the start of operations and recirculated continuously. The water is not discharged into local drains, waterways, or the surrounding environment, and there is no dumping of processed water. The result is one of the lowest water use profiles of any major commercial property type.
The total water usage at the Shadowbox facility is projected to be:
- 72% lower than a comparably sized warehouse on the same site
- Nearly 70% lower than a typical 250-unit apartment complex
- More than 60% lower than a typical senior living community
- Nearly 90% lower than a typical hospital
Of the project’s total water usage, the cooling systems account for approximately one-third, with the remainder driven by typical employee and landscaping needs.
The lighting plan is designed to be consistent with Dark Sky guidelines, meaning all exterior lighting will be shielded and directed downward to ensure light is cast only where needed.
Non-essential exterior lighting will be minimized or turned off during overnight hours.
Thanks to both technology and operational guidelines concerning generator usage, data centers create substantially less air pollution on a per square foot basis than most neighboring industrial uses.
Emergency backup generators are on-site for use only during power outages or routine maintenance testing — approximately 15 hours per year. They are not a primary power source. All backup generators meet Tier 4 Final emissions standards, the most stringent level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
DeKalb County issued a written Zoning Certification Letter and provided two additional communications confirming that data center use is permitted by right under existing M-zone industrial zoning.
Formed in 2023, the SDTAD is a mechanism for ensuring that property tax increases that result from private investment in new projects (such as the Shadowbox data center) will be reinvested within the geographic boundary of the district rather than in the County at large.
Our relationship with Ryan Millsap and Blackhall concluded in early 2022, shortly after the acquisition of the former Blackhall Studios closed. We have had no commercial dealings with him since that time, and we have no connection to that lawsuit.