Independent podcast companies Campside Media and Tenderfoot TV have partnered with creative studio Ventureland to create a new documentary film and companion podcast on Atlanta public safety training centre Cop City, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The documentary, which is currently in development, will look into the planned police and fire service facility, as well as the movements that are opposing the construction of the centre, arguing it could lead to greater police militarisation in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The series will also highlight the case of Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran, a protester who was killed by police when taking part in the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement.
“The debate over Cop City is a microcosm of what’s happening in cities across the country,” said Campside co-founder Matthew Shaer. “It brings together all these different discussions: About race, about policing, about urban development and environmental resources. I’m convinced that Atlanta in 2023 is the most interesting city in the U.S., and in Atlanta, there is no more fascinating, telling story than that of Cop City.”
Key subjects who can shed light on the situation will be featured in the documentary in addition to other elements of on-the-ground reporting. Alongside the documentary, Tenderfoot TV and Campside Media will be co-producing an investigative companion podcast series that will dive deeper into the story of Cop City and the death of Teran.
The companion podcast is set to release in the first quarter of 2024, and will be executive produced by Shaer and Campside Media executive producer Tommy Andres. Both Tenderfoot TV and Campside Media have produced award-winning investigative and true-crime series, including Up and Vanished and Chameleon, respectively. The project represents Tenderfoot’s latest move into video, having previously adapted Up and Vanished to a TV show on the Oxygen network.
“Cop City is uncovering a timely and relevant story that affects those in our own backyard,” said Tenderfoot TV CEO Donald Albright. “We’re honoured to partner with Ventureland and Campside, whose impact goals align with ours, and to make something the way we know best: through documentary-style storytelling, no matter the medium.”
