You can now own a part of the hit AMC television series The Walking Dead. The zombie drama, which has been airing since 2010, is now in its 5th season and has been picked up for a 6th season. The series has been backed by strong TV ratings and had 17.3 million people tune in to watch the Season 5 premiere, which made it the most watched drama series broadcast in the history of basic cable! The show has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, three People's Choice Awards, and a Teen Choice Award.
The first season of the Walking Dead was shot in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area. It shifted to a countryside area in northern Georgia starting in Season 2. Much of the actual filming took place in Grantville, GA. The town of Grantville is only five square miles and has just 3,000 residents. Ever since the town's cotton mill closed down it has been in decline. The local economy was helped by the town being the backdrop for the filming of the movies The War, Broken Bridges, and Lawless.
Things changed when the town was used as Rick's abandoned hometown on the hit AMC show. Fans of the Walking Dead started showing up from across the world to get a glimpse of where their favorite show was filmed. Grantville Mayor Jim Sells came up with an idea to make some money and capitalize off of the town's fame. He listed nine buildings for a total of $680,000 on eBay. Another option is to purchase 11 buildings for $940,000 and own 90% of the downtown area. Every building on the South side of Main Street is for sale except for the VFW.
Mayor Sells doesn't just want someone who has money, but he wants an investor who "can use our town to its fullest potential." He will be selective about the buyer and "I won't just take anybody," he stated.
He said that half of the buildings are being rented out and the new owner can instantly start making $6,500 on rent a month. The Mayor paid $300,000 for 12 commercial properties that were in foreclosure back in 2012 and invested another $150,000 into refurbishments.
The nearby town of Senoia, GA, has also seen this type of positive economic impact due to The Walking Dead being filmed there. In addition to making money from the Walking Dead, three big movies are scheduled to be filmed there including a follow up to The Ring.
This is an opportunity to own a piece of American culture and own your own town!
