Commentary by Randy Davidson, President of Georgia Entertainment
The film tax meeting with legislators in Athens on Wednesday was very insightful. It feels like the state is embracing the Creative Economy or at least giving it the credibility warranted as part of Georgia’s “mutual fund” of backed industry segments. (Biomedical, FinTech, Electric Mobility)
Certainly there are challenges as we grow and stakeholders work on generally accepted metrics to calculate the impact of Georgia’s Entertainment Industry Investment Act.
But imagine the mountain legislators in other states are facing realizing the pressure from their future workforce. Their constituents want creative career opportunities.
Imagine the pressure of other states that have one or two industries they depend on. It’s real. Two speakers at the hearing acknowledged that other states are calling – how do your incentive programs and audits work? How can our state build an educational and workforce pipeline like Georgia?
Critics of state incentives often say government should not be in the business of “picking winners” – That’s not what’s happening here – the state is embracing and supporting the reality of a creative workforce that was already winning.
There’s a big opportunity that’s evolving for music, digital production, arts, gaming/esports, film and all parts of the creative economy. While film has the spotlight, my hope is that our leaders embrace the entire creative sector. It warrants the respect of our other leading industry categories – in total helping Georgia continue as the #1 state to do business for 10 years in a row.
Thanks to all that spoke and the legislators exploring how to keep this momentum.
See the video and news recap published by Atlanta News First.
