By Carol Badaracco Padgett, Senior Writer
Valdosta, Georgia took a hard hit this past September when Hurricane Idalia tackled what was to be Georgia Entertainment’s fifth stop of the Unscripted Roadshow.
The city that sits 15 miles from the Florida state line didn’t take it lying down though, because Valdosta doesn’t give up. Not in sports, where ESPN once dubbed it Titletown USA for being the winningest locale, and not in the business of film production, where Valdosta and South Georgia as a whole are power players.
So it’s game back on – and Valdosta is now playing host to the first Unscripted Roadshow of 2024 on January 26 at the city’s Rainwater Conference Center from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. A post-event wrap party will follow at Downtown Social, while a morning-after VIP breakfast catered by Covington’s Dining and Catering will kick off at The McKey, a local boutique hotel.
In the business of film production, as in sports, the South Georgia city is a strong contender.
Valdosta offers a cinema arts-friendly population of 55,000+ and ample down-home charm, resting within two-and-a-half hours of the coast and just a short drive from South Georgia Studios in Brooks County, Georgia, that will open in 2024.
The new studio’s purpose-built campus will include 112 acres with 72,000 square feet of soundstages, a 50,000-square-foot mill with workshop and flex spaces, 30,000 square feet of professional offices, and a six-acre backlot outdoor blue screen pad.
The 2024 Unscripted Roadshow also promises an atmosphere of gameday revelry courtesy of South Georgia Studios and nonprofit PhilanthroFilms, in affiliation with the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, the Brooks County Development Authority, Lowndes County, and Coleman Talley Strategies. Together, these forces will deliver an immersive experience for roadshow-goers, including working sets and more.
Additional Georgia Unscripted players at the Valdosta event will include the Georgia Film Academy, slated to reside in PhilanthroFilms’ facilities in partnership with the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia.
Making Valdosta an even tighter fit with the Unscripted Roadshow, the area boasts distinctive camera-ready locations like Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, home to the national PGA kickoff every year, and Wild Adventures Theme Park with its giant collection of rides, animals and water parks, as well as a concert venue. In addition, The Crescent Mansion, a ravishing home built in 1898 and saved from demolition, now acts as a premier event venue for the area.
The lineup of productions shot in Valdosta is first-class and includes films like 2022 crime thriller Bandit; 2022 Rom-Com The Holiday Dating Guide; 2021 sci-fi film Deadlock; and The Tiger Rising an adventure family film from 2022.
Film productions find easy access to the area because Valdosta-Lowndes County is a Georgia Camera Ready Community—one that links film and TV productions with trained camera-ready liaisons to provide local expertise and support.
Film festivals also make a strong showing in South Georgia. Each year on the first weekend in March, for example, the South Georgia Film Festival visits the Valdosta State University campus and brings three days of film screenings, panel discussions and revelry surrounding the art of film in the region. Festival organizers encourage filmmakers’ content from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina, predominantly. Categories include feature films, animated films, student films and shorts.
Alongside the area’s notable film production, Valdosta makes music too.
Surrounding Valdosta State University is Dream Reality Records, Earthsound Recording, Classic Productions, Vibe Virtue Studios, and Diamond Recording Studios which also offers space for video shoots and launch parties.
Singer-songwriter Rhett Akins calls the town home—as well as actress Andrea Powell, actor-author Demond Wilson, actor Sonny Shroyer and others.
In addition, gaming and esports have a South Georgia home base in Valdosta.
Valdosta High School recruits for esports, while Valdosta State University’s VSU Esports Program at its Union Station Game Room is equipped with bleeding-edge gaming PC’s and game consoles, along with nearly 20 hosted games.
Entertainment industry training and degrees are readily available in Valdosta, as well, including VSU’s bachelor of fine arts (BFA) in mass media that includes hands-on experience in filmmaking, documentary production, audio and other broadcast.
Broad-based public knowledge and appreciation of the arts, in general, is fostered at local Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, a TripAdvisor five-star rated arts-focused destination. The venue features six galleries with permanent and temporary exhibitions.
At Georgia Unscripted roadshow in Valdosta in 2024, a sought-after team of creative visionaries, business executives, talent, educators, government officials and elected leaders will showcase Georgia’s creative economy, its continued opportunities and growth strategies.
RSVP here. Georgia Unscripted Roadshow in Valdosta is expected to deliver one of the event’s biggest fan bases to date.
