By Carol Badaracco Padgett
If it happens in Athens, it has mad creative energy, whatever the occasion. This was definitely the case for the first stop of the Georgia Unscripted roadshow late last week at Tweed Recording, where the event revealed the industry’s next steps toward more success in Athens and statewide.
Amid a creative industry crowd that included state representatives and city councilmen, opening presenter Lee Thomas, Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Film and Entertainment Office, stated, “You not only don’t have to leave Georgia, you don’t have to leave Athens.”
Next up, Athena Studios’ CEO Joel Harber hit a high note in his presentation about the city’s new 200,000-square-foot purpose-built film production studio, saying, “My thinking, build it and they will come. We want to show other cities around the state a blueprint.”
Harber says production on several feature films is poised to begin at Athena Studios later this summer, pending industry developments.
Another key takeaway from the first Georgia Unscripted roadshow stop: the state is sitting on an untapped and steadily growing goldmine of creative IP. Presenter David Sutherland, University of Georgia senior lecturer and business analyst, framed the thought with urgency, saying, “There is great value in IP in Georgia that’s just sitting out there.”
Athens’ ambassador of the hip hop scene, Montu Miller, a high school teacher of history and culture as well as a panelist at the roadshow, confirmed, “A lot of kids I deal with are content creatives. We need to build a pathway from here … [to]be a feeder industry.”
Competition is another subject that Athens creative industry professionals pushed to the forefront of the discussion. And under that heading: tax incentives.
Presenter Brennen Dicker of Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute summed up the subject noting interest from other states saying the Georgia must be mindful to continue “a stable, enticing, competitive tax credit. Texas sees it and wants a piece of it.”
Area filmmaker and producer Chris Hines concurred from his view, “We’re the nitty gritty independent filmmakers, and the tax credit helped us, immensely, [to]get better crew.”
Just as the tax credit has been a major driver of Georgia’s wild rise in the film industry, Tweed Studios’ CEO, Andrew Ratcliffe, would like to see the love spread even further. “You’ve got a $4.4 billion film industry. I want to grow the Georgia audio industry, too.”
Another critical topic: leading-edge film industry-related education in Georgia. Scott Votaw, Executive Director of the Georgia Film Academy and a Georgia Unscripted presenter, spoke about the power of the Academy’s partnership with studios across the state. “We have GFA hubs at the studios so kids don’t just sit in the classroom,” he stated, adding, “We need to know where the training should go—where the industry is headed.”
Diversity, too, was touted for its presence and strength in Georgia’s film industry. Dicker praised the state, saying, “Our workforce here in Georgia is one of the most diverse; we’re ahead of those with the more mature industries.”
A parting thought from a young panelist in Athens was certainly not last in importance. Student TJ Stephens, president of esports at UGA and a gaming world champ, said this of Georgia’s place in gaming content creation and technologies: “The next generation is already here.”
Next stop in the Georgia Unscripted roadshow—North Fulton and Forsyth County including Alpharetta, Roswell and Cumming, July 19, 2023. RSVP HERE. (See a recap and more pictures here.)
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The 2023 Georgia Unscripted Roadshow is presented by FilmHedge, PhilanthroFilms, and South Georgia Studios along with premier partners Assembly Studios, Brasfield Gorrie, ICP, and Yancey Entertainment. The communities for this year’s roadshow are Alpharetta/Roswell/Cumming, Athens, Augusta, Columbus, Marietta, Rome, Savannah, Warner Robins/Macon, and Valdosta.
Additional partners include Apache Rental Group, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, City National Bank, Cabretta Capital, Classic Tents, Georgia Entertainment PR Alliance, FitzHenry Films, Flat Rock Studio, Ghost Gaming, Greenspoon Marder LLP, Moonshine Post Production, PC&E, Skillshot, Sonesta Hotels, Tweed Recording and others to be named later.
Other organizations supporting the roadshow include the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Music Partners, Georgia Production Partnership, BIG Film and Entertainment Alliance, Georgia Film Academy, Georgia Screen Entertainment Coalition, Motion Picture Association, Consulate General of Israel to the Southeastern United States, Georgia Game Developers Association, Georgia Regional Film and Entertainment Alliance, Georgia Latino Film Alliance, and Georgia CEO.
To support the roadshow or receive further information, please contact us here.
