On Oct. 22, the Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Columbus Ahead, in partnership with Georgia Entertainment , presented the inaugural Created in Columbus at The PATIO, the Springer Opera House’s outdoor venue in downtown Columbus. The evening brought together artists, filmmakers, musicians, local business owners, elected officials and entertainment executives from Georgia and beyond to celebrate the creatives making their living in the region and the businesses that make their work possible.
The evening was supported by GenFi, Hall Booth Smith, CineFI, Georgia Film Academy and Georgia Insider.
“What we saw in Columbus was a city that knows exactly what it has,” said Randy Davidson, founder and CEO of Georgia Entertainment. “The creatives building careers here shared a space with the businesses that support them and the decision-makers looking for their next location and their next partner. Columbus made a strong case for itself, and more of Georgia is paying attention.”
Programming paired Columbus-rooted creatives with statewide industry leaders.
The PATIO, short for the Pierce Anderson Theatre in the Outdoors, was completed in 2026 and is named for longtime Springer artistic director Paul Pierce and Springer Theatre Academy founder Ron Anderson. The venue grew out of the Springer’s 2021 outdoor theater festival, which drew about 10,000 people during the pandemic and led the theater to make outdoor programming permanent.
Created in Columbus also served as a recruiting moment for the region, putting Columbus in front of decision-makers from across Georgia and beyond who are looking for distinctive locations, capable partners and communities investing in their creative sectors.
“Columbus deserves the spotlight for the artists and creatives building their livelihoods here and the businesses helping make that work possible,” said Jezlan Moyet, president of Georgia Entertainment and co-founder of Navigate Georgia. “That’s what made this evening so exciting: bringing talent, resources and relationships together to help creative ambition become real work and lasting opportunity. We’re grateful to the Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Ahead and our partners for bringing that vision to life, and we’re proud to keep building on that momentum with Columbus.”
Created in Columbus was presented by the Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Columbus Ahead in partnership with Georgia Entertainment, alongside supporting partners Genfi, Georgia Film Academy, Hall Booth Smith, CineFi and Georgia Insider.
Photos by: Crizz Quinn, Jezlan Moyet and Shootworks
