New Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards Had a Ball at Celtic Studios

BATON ROUGE, La. – Celtic Studios, Louisiana’s largest purpose-built studio facility, hosted the inaugural ball for John Bel Edwards, installed as the state’s 56th governor on Jan. 11.

More than 4,000 people attended the event held on Celtic’s 31,000-square-foot Stage 6. Attendees were treated to musical performances by The Gene King Band, Louisiana Red, Tim Laughlin’s New Orleans All-Stars, the Nichols State University String Orchestra Ensemble, and the Louisiana State University Jazz Quartet and food provided by more than two dozen of Louisiana’s finest restaurants and caterers at the 40-acre facility in the heart of Baton Rouge.

Celtic Studios is a division of the Baton Rouge-based Celtic Group.

“We are honored that Governor Edwards chose Celtic Studios as the venue to celebrate one of the most memorable evenings of his career,” said Celtic Group Chairman and CEO Michael O’Connor. “The Celtic Group looks forward to working with our new governor in creating jobs and growing Louisiana’s economy in the years ahead.”

Edwards took the oath of office surrounded by friends and colleagues, including Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, the former Lieutenant Governor who helped author the legislation as state senator that established Louisiana as one of the world’s top destinations for filmmakers.

“I am committed to maintaining a strong film industry in Louisiana for the many people who depend on this industry for their livelihood,” Edwards says. “We need to establish long-term stability and predictability in the film incentive program and recognize the importance of this industry for creating jobs and diversifying our economy.”

Celtic Studios has served numerous productions of all sizes, including Columbia’s “Battle: Los Angeles,” NBC Universal’s “Battleship” and “Oblivion,” Summit Entertainment’s “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” Parts 1 and 2, 20th Century Fox’s “Fantastic Four,” A&E’s “Breakout Kings,” the first season of MTV’s “Scream,” and WGN’s upcoming TV series “Underground” produced by Sony Pictures Television.

In 2015, Celtic expanded to its current 40 acres after purchasing 10 acres of adjacent property. The addition, known as Celtic Crown, is home to on-lot dry cleaning service Sunshine Cleaners, grip and lighting giant MBS Equipment Co., and portable power and HVAC provider CAT Entertainment Services.

Celtic Studios offers more than 150,000 square feet of stage space, more than 100,000 square feet of office space and more than 50,000 square feet of enclosed support space within its gates. It is also home to more than 30 permanent tenants, most of which provide support to Louisiana’s entertainment industry. Last year, Moviemaker Maker magazine cited Celtic’s stages as one of the reasons it named Baton Rouge as the top small city in America to live and work as a moviemaker for 2015.

>