The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation, in collaboration with the Atlanta Collegiate Entrepreneurship Syndicate (ACES), hosted the second annual Avant South—the city’s groundbreaking event designed to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and technological advancement. The event took place on Monday, Oct 7, 2024, at the Exhibition Hall on Georgia Tech’s campus with television host and producer Maria Taylor as the keynote speaker.
Avant South is a key initiative in the City of Atlanta’s ambitious goal to position itself as one of the top five technology and entrepreneurial hubs in the nation. With a focus on empowering the next generation of innovators, the event was designed to inspire and connect students, faculty, entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
“In Atlanta, we understand the importance of community and equity in innovation. To fuel Atlanta’s rise to a top five technology hub, events like this are crucial to scaling our technology infrastructure and creating a network of incubators, accelerators and financial backers to grow and keep our own talent right here at home,” said Mayor Andre Dickens.
Participants chose from four focused tracks featuring leading innovators in media and entertainment, sports, digital arts and entrepreneurship. Sessions and panels provided insights into the future of these industries and explored the impact and potential of rapidly advancing technologies.
Georgia Entertainment was on site and following multiple tracks, as the convergence of technology and the creative sectors continues to drive massive economic development and entrepreneurial opportunities statewide. Key leaders in the state stressed the importance of remaining adaptable to the rapid changes in various sectors, and credited Georgia’s position as the number place in the United States to do business.
As the state continues to rebound from recent turmoil in the film industry, many outlooks remain positive as the undeniable disruption to the existing studio systems and legacy players provides an opportunity for a more inclusive evolution in IP development and content creation. Stressing that this is a reflection of the times and circumstance beyond Georgia, the cost of capital, flaws in the streaming models, consolidation and restructuring are all playing their part.
“The industry as a whole hasn’t responded as effectively as it could to the current changes,” states Frank Patterson, CEO of Trilith Studios. “Yet Georgia remains the premier destination in the nation for film production with a collective infrastructure committed to further developing the local ‘ecosystem.'”
Lee Thomas, Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Film Office at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, shared insight on the cyclical nature of the industry and the state’s long history of repeated success.
Furthering that sentiment, Julie Ann Crommet, Founder & CEO of Collective Moxie, said “The question of distribution is what everyone is hung up on. And higher education has an interesting place in disrupting distribution.”
With the focus on the future, it is clear that education and workforce development remain an absolute priority in positioning Georgia for continued economic development and success. “Original game creation in this region, in Georgia, is the biggest sector of opportunity. It used to be that film ruled, now that is flipped,” according to Todd Harris, CEO of Resurgens Gaming. Soon to be the largest sector of the entertainment industry in the world, gaming is a $200 billion industry with over 3 billion loyal gamers globally.
One distinct message rang clear throughout the day’s impactful conversations, Atlanta is a hub for innovation. It is up to Georgia to support that growth locally and spotlight it globally.