Studios built for 'A Time to Kill' get new owner

Mississippi Film Studios has a new owner.

Rick Moore, who owns Ridgeland ad and branding agency Mad Genius and production company Eyevox Entertainment, acquired the facility in Canton. Terms were kept confidential.

"This is the most significant announcement for the film industry in Mississippi since the creation of the Mississippi Motion Picture Incentive Program in 2004," said Ward Emling, director of Mississippi Film Office. "Eyevox is both an experienced and committed production company and a long-time and successful creator of all forms of filmed entertainment. This combination of infrastructure and content at the local level is what we have been working toward for well over a decade. It changes everything. It will instantly raise our profile, and it will immediately have an impact on our ability to attract and support production."

Mississippi Film Studios is a 43,000 square-foot purpose-built facility, with 8,000 square feet of production offices and a 35,000-square-foot clear span sound stage. It was originally built for the movie adaptation of John Grisham's "A Time to Kill."

Moore has worked in the film, television and advertising industries for more than 25 years. He started Eyevox in 1997, doing work for ABC, HBO and ESPN before that. Eyevox is Mississippi's largest privately owned video and film production company with an 11,000-square-foot facility, including a 4,000-square-foot studio, in Ridgeland.

Mad Genius and Eyevox merged in 2009, combining facilities, services and personnel under the Mad Genius flag. Eyevox Entertainment, Mad Genius' creative property division, has helped produce films and television shows with producers across the world.

"These are very exciting times for Mississippi's film community, and this is an important next step as we see so many productions choosing to shoot their films in the state" Moore said.

Canton's convention and visitors bureau operated and managed Mississippi Film Studios before Moore bought it.