Traditionally, cities receive all the recognition and shoutouts—Atlanta, Hollywood, Chicago, NYC, and on and on. But in Georgia, Atlanta and the state walk hand and hand as it relates to what takes place in entertainment.
Atlanta has received most of the incentivized direct spending on film for obvious reasons. However, this has equated to new opportunities for all of Georgia. Film and television production continues to expand beyond Atlanta while investment, education and workforce development programs rise in the areas of music, post-production and gaming development.
Today, geographic fences are being torn away and tomorrow’s economy is a Creative Economy with participation opportunities for all communities. Hard working public and private sector leaders throughout the state are exploring ways to attract productions, business startups and residents wanting to live in Georgia’s creative communities.
Hollywood was built during a unique time in the entertainment industry. Distribution, funding, professional domain expertise and storytelling was relegated mostly to one region for efficiency purposes. And now, technology has dismantled this efficiency, and combined with Georgia’s stance on leading in the creative arts sector, we are able to mark a new path for how creative economies are built and stories are told.
Genuine progress begins when local government officials embrace the reality of tomorrow’s workforce. Cities like Macon, Augusta, Savannah and Columbus have been doing it for years. These communities have built digital platforms for film and entertainment, host meetings for locals to better understand creative industries and entertain producers to recruit new business.
Other cities are freshly on the move. Valdosta, Rome, Dalton, Albany, Warner Robins, Brunswick and St. Mary’s are working on more focused efforts to expand and recruit economic development around music, gaming, film, fashion and the arts.
Fulton County has always been strong in terms of resources, but surrounding counties continue to fund efforts to niche up. Gwinnett and Dekalb are two shining examples. Even inside Dekalb, the City of Dunwoody via its CVB arm, Discover Dunwoody, has a dedicated initiative for creatives. Cobb, Douglasville, Clayton, Newton, Fayetteville and others continue to build.
Georgia’s Camera Ready program is another valuable asset and starting point for every county in the state. Supported by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the program works to help facilitate film production. Going forward, this program will need more support and resources to keep pace with demand beyond film as creative industries converge and expand.
To read more features from the Creative Economy Journal, visit here.
