Architect rides a filmmaking wave to small-town Georgia.
Maria Guerra-Stoll is an unsung star of Georgia’s entertainment industry. With husband Billy Barker, she’s the co-founder of GSB Architects & Interiors and played a foundational role in the infrastructure enabling major TV and film production in the state, including designing Georgia’s first purpose-built soundstages at Tyler Perry’s Greenbriar Studios.
“I saw how he flourished and how a lot of women were included,” says Guerra-Stoll, a Venezuela native and University of Tennessee graduate who was drawn to Atlanta by the architectural opportunities of the 1996 Olympics. “And I said, ‘Well, I could do the same thing, but not only for women, but also for the Latino community and any other underrepresented groups.’” Still designing infrastructure, Guerra-Stoll has moved into content by launching Playa Azul Media Studios in Rome, about 70 miles from her Buckhead home. PAM began as a production company in 2015, but obstacles ranging from the pandemic to an infestation by two species of bats delayed the studio opening until 2022. “Playa azul” means blue beach, a common feature of Latin countries, Guerra-Stoll says. “The shoreline hugs us, and the water connects us all.”
Women in Film and Television Atlanta honored her with its Outstanding Contribution Award in 2021, and Gov. Brian Kemp appointed her to the Governor’s Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Advisory Commission. Sworn in Sept. 30, she is the panel’s first Latina.
“It’s very hard for anybody to get in the industry,” Guerra-Stoll says. “I just want to see how I can help and open some doors.”
The commission has no decision making authority but develops strategy recommendations for film and TV production, music recording and the video game industry.
One issue Georgia faces is a slow recovery from the screenwriters and actors strikes in 2023. Direct spending by film and TV productions in the state totaled $2.6 billion in the fiscal year ending June 30, the Georgia Department of Economic Development reported. That was down from $4.4 billion in the last full year before the strikes. Meanwhile, Georgia’s production capacity has grown dramatically with soundstages such as Assembly Atlanta in Doraville, Electric Owl Studios in Stone Mountain and Lionsgate Studios in Douglasville.
“There’s a little light there that I see,” Guerra-Stoll says. “Maybe this is the time for the Latinos to shine because the big productions halted or moved, and now we might have space and people.”
She emphasizes the need to tell the stories Hollywood often overlooks, from Hispanics and women to small towns like Rome, “a micro- Sundance” she fell in love with after introducing a movie at the city’s International Film Festival in 2019.
Guerra-Stoll has helped select Latino and short films for the festival, launched its Latino Day and hosted festival events.
Only a few shorts have been shot at PAM, but Guerra-Stoll is working with schools and young filmmakers to develop Rome as a production center. She recognizes the potential of the entertainment industry beyond metro Atlanta and hopes to add more locations around the state.
“The key to creating more products in Georgia is to add more local incentives in the local towns,” Guerra-Stoll says. “This will be especially helpful for independent films, which I believe will see significant growth in the near future.”
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