By Honnie Korngold, founder of CineVantage Productions and South Georgia Studios.
When we relocated our production company, CineVantage, from Los Angeles to South Georgia in 2020, I received more than just a few comments questioning not only why we would choose to leave California, but also why we would choose South Georgia. After all, wasn’t California the place to be for production?
While some understood our desire to be good stewards of our investors’ money and produce in Georgia—home to a robust film tax incentive—many still questioned why we selected an area other than Atlanta, the hub of all things production in Georgia. What was the reason we chose the Valdosta area, more specifically, an area in Brooks County, just a stone’s throw from the Florida line? These things contributed to collective head-scratching from our colleagues in California.
After touring several areas in Georgia, it became clear to us that we were to take a chance on this fledgling area for several reasons. From a logistical standpoint, it had an airport that was serviced by Delta Air Lines with several flights a day. Valdosta was home to dozens of branded hotel properties, and the city had all we needed support-service-wise.
Additionally, Alexander Kane’s production company, Workhorse Cinema, had been active in producing nearly $70 million worth of feature films in the region and had built an expanding crew base. But most importantly, the county and city where we planted our flag (Quitman, Brooks County) wanted us in their midst and they rolled out the red carpet to welcome us.
In addition to checking all the practical boxes, the region was oozing with charm. Just a few minutes from our production offices was Thomasville—clearly one of the most picturesque communities in the South. But the town of Quitman was a far cry from the lovingly restored community of Thomasville. Quitman was tired. Surrounded by agriculture, the town of Quitman had once been a thriving textile concern, but was decimated by the impact of NAFTA in the ’90s. Overnight, historic businesses in the downtown area shuttered.
When we arrived in 2020, only about 30% of the downtown storefronts and buildings were occupied. What we saw was huge potential. What perhaps the community had no longer seen, we were able to spark a new appreciation for. No longer were the beautiful buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s looked upon by many in the community as simply old, run-down buildings; they were to be cherished for their beauty, charm, and yes, usefulness.
But the foundation of a creative culture and economy isn’t built on the real estate of a town; it must first start with the people. One of the first things we knew we needed to do was launch a nonprofit to help facilitate the creative building blocks. If the film and entertainment industry was to take deep root in this community, we needed an organic approach to educating the workforce for film production and attracting film to the region.
To accomplish that, I co-founded the nonprofit PhilanthroFilms with South Georgia native Cathy Parker. Since its inception, PhilanthroFilms has been on target in educating and partnering to raise up the workforce and bring production to the region. This year, the organization reached a major milestone in attracting the Georgia Film Academy to South Georgia. In partnership with Valdosta State University and Wiregrass Technical College, this program will supercharge workforce development in the region. With the confluence of these grassroots initiatives, we started to see something quite interesting begin to emerge.
The once quiet downtown began to have a heartbeat. At first, it was several production-oriented businesses that surrounded the nonprofit and our production offices. Then a coffeehouse (with music in the evenings), an art gallery, new restaurants, retail and BOOM—new life in the town many had written off. With it came a renewed sense for the residents—pride in the community, economic development and, best of all, hope for future generations.
Quickly, it became apparent there was a need for soundstages in South Georgia. There is steady production happening in the region filming in practical locations, but when the need arose for any soundstage work, the productions packed up and moved to Atlanta or Los Angeles.
Additionally, the proximity to Florida presented a great opportunity to attract production across the Georgia/Florida line to benefit from the robust Georgia film tax incentive. There currently is no Florida state film incentive. With the indicators confirming, we purchased 112 acres of land and began developing South Georgia Studios—a purpose-built studio campus with 72,000 feet of sound stages, 50,000 foot mill/flex space, 30,000 feet of offices, a special effects pad, backlot and plenty of room for expansion.
Gary Korngold, a business leader with many years of C-Suite experience, is heading up the development of South Georgia Studios. After growing up in the shadow of Warner Bros. with his grandfather, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and father, George Korngold, both in the music side of film, with a few Oscars gracing the family mantles, Gary brings a deep, familial legacy in film to South Georgia.
What’s next? We are intent on doing all we can to foster the creative culture and economy in South Georgia—one that is not only involved in physical production but one that takes a holistic approach to the ecosystem of film and entertainment, with Georgians touching every element—development, financing, production, distribution, and more.
Early in our process, we had the privilege to consult with Dan Cathy about his accomplishments with Trilith Studios. I recall asking him about his beginnings with Pinewood. He shared how not everyone understood or supported his bold vision for 730 acres of farmland in Fayetteville. I told him I could relate (clearly on a much smaller scale). I confessed, “I feel like we have come to South Georgia and declared, ‘We are building a rocket and going to Mars.’”
That is how foreign the idea was to the community of building a studio and soundstages for film among the peaches, peanuts, and pecans. His advice to us, “Stay the course, what you are doing in South Georgia is going to impact the entire region. If you need to, bring them to Trilith by the busload and let’s show them what has transpired here.”
In the last four years, our community has experienced the ripple effects of this burgeoning Creative Economy. And while they still are getting their arms around it, they are engaged and ready to embrace all the benefits that come with Georgia’s explosive film and entertainment industry.
Onward.
