Today, Georgia’s booming film and television industry might seem like an overnight success, but it’s a story 50 years in the making.
When Lee Thomas joined the Georgia Film Office (then the Georgia Film and Videotape Office) in the mid-90s, the state was attracting fewer than 10 film and television projects a year.
At that time, the primary operation of the Film Office was location scouting: Productions would fax or overnight scripts to the office, and Lee and her teammates would take 35mm cameras and drive around the state to capture still images of the perfect locations for each film.
The growth of the industry since then has been tremendous.
• Direct spending: During the last two fiscal years alone, Georgia has been the stage for more than 800 productions and celebrated at least $8.5 billion in direct spending across the state.
That impressive figure includes cast and crew payroll, support services like catering and landscaping, lodging at hotels, hiring local police officers and security personnel, and more.
For comparison, the direct spend of the entire first 35 years of the film office—from 1973 to 2008—was about $1.4 billion in total. In 2022, the state tripled that number in just one year.
• Infrastructure: Since the film tax incentive was revised in 2008, stage space has increased from 45,000 square feet in 2010 to more than 4.5 million in 2024.
Georgia is now second for stage space in the U.S.
• Education: Productions benefit from resources like the Georgia Film Academy, which is responsive to the needs of the industry and can quickly develop curriculum to suit productions’ needs.
Georgia residents no longer have to leave the state to get a good job in the film and television industry.
In all, Georgia has a great package to sell: a competitive incentive, a deep crew base, robust infrastructure, diverse locations, a temperate climate, and a high quality of life. This leads to repeat business.
Long-lasting impact
Film tourism that follows productions is often more impactful than the money spent filming projects. During the time that “The Walking Dead” was filmed in Senoia, the downtown went from six storefronts to 150. Tourists still flock to Covington, either to see the place where five episodes of “The Dukes of Hazzard” were filmed, or to stop by the locations of teen drama “The Vampire Diaries.” And Juliette has made itself a one-movie town, promoting “Fried Green Tomatoes” merchandise and inviting tourists to dine at The Whistle Stop Café.
50 years of investment
2023 marked 50 years since Governor Jimmy Carter created the office following the success of the movie “Deliverance,” which filmed in Rabun County in 1972. State leaders recognized the significant impact the industry could have in creating jobs and opportunities across the state. Continued support from community and state partners as well as private investment has made Georgia a leader in global film production.
The future of film? Continued infrastructure growth, studio investments, and more visual effects and post-production companies will make Georgia a one-stop-shop for film and television.
Learn more: Georgia Film Office Director Lee Thomas recently spoke to Jewel Wicker with WABE’s “The Boom” podcast about the film industry’s growth during her tenure and beyond – listen here.
Courtesy Georgia.org.
