Jezlan Moyet
President of Georgia Entertainment
Creativity is self-expression, and in Georgia, it’s everywhere you look. It’s in the murals that color our neighborhoods, the music that fills our venues and the roar of the crowd on game day. It lives in our art, our fashion, our history and our spirit. Right now, all of those creative forces are converging in the most powerful way.
As the world looks to Atlanta for the World Cup, Georgia stands ready to show how sports and entertainment have become intertwined forces. Both are rooted in performance, storytelling, and emotion; they unite communities and remind us that creativity at its best is about connection.
The convergence of these worlds is unfolding everywhere. It’s this intersection that defines Georgia’s creative economy. From the court to the concert stage, creative direction itself has become an art form, one that reflects culture as much as it creates it.
In this issue, we spotlight how the Atlanta Hawks are reimagining fandom and how visionary students are turning sneaker design into the South’s next creative boom. Across the state, innovation, identity and self-expression are moving in perfect rhythm, and creativity is taking new shape in every direction.
And it’s not limited to one medium. Georgia’s athletes and composers are scoring on the global stage. Our live event venues, from Trilith Live, built for inspiration, to the revitalized Centennial Yards District, are transforming how we experience storytelling in real time. Partners like Live Nation and Cosm are proving that entertainment isn’t just watched, it’s lived.
As one of our senior writers, Carol Badaracco Padgett, described it recently, we’re living through a “creative climate change,” a shift toward collaboration, experimentation and limitless imagination.
“When story met maker,” she wrote, “living in the modern world becomes a more deeply connected and communal experience. And Trilith is the proof.” That phrase captures what we believe at Georgia Entertainment: the creative economy is more than a collection of industries. It’s a living ecosystem, a place where filmmakers and athletes, musicians and makers, storytellers and entrepreneurs all find common ground.
We’re also witnessing the rise of the independent creator, individuals and brand studios who bend and flex with the industry, finding new ways to tell stories on their own terms. That adaptability is the hallmark of Georgia’s creative spirit. It’s why global studios, educational institutions and innovators continue to invest here. And it’s why our team remains committed to shining a spotlight on the people shaping this new era at home and on the global stage.
From film sets to music stages, gaming labs to writers’ rooms, Georgia Entertainment celebrates the ideas and individuals driving our state’s future. We bring communities together, share stories, spark conversations and open doors across all 159 counties in Georgia.
Here, there are no gatekeepers, just connections, opportunities and the freedom to create.
As we look toward the World Cup and beyond, one thing is clear: Georgia’s creative economy is already leading the way. Because here, every story has a place. Whatever your passion, whatever your platform, whatever your story, Georgia is the stage to create it.
This article appeared in the 2026 edition of the Creative Economy Journal. See more from the Journal here.
