Features

Five-time Olympic medalist, the most decorated Black winter Olympian and mother Elana Meyers Taylor grew up in Douglasville, Georgia. This week, she won her first gold medal at the age of 41.

The debate is over: film, entertainment and the broader creative industries are essential drivers of economic growth. Those of us in the industry know it, and most policymakers do too. The evidence is everywhere.

The Columbus Creators Mixer on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at The Loft in Columbus will provide information on "How to Become a Storyteller" and "The Economics of Storytelling," which will include creators across all disciplines, providing education on storytelling fundamentals and helping participants understand what resources are locally available to them.

The media merger leading into 2026 is a development that excites and inspires international entertainment executive Michael Fisk, and it’s one he’s actively developing as he stirs up a communal concoction of sports, cinema and live entertainment with all of it instantaneously available right in front of you on the big screen.

Georgia Entertainment has announced plans to hold its signature "From Story to Scale" event series during the SXSW conference and festivals to spotlight the state's resources, infrastructure, world-class studio facilities and incentives.

Across sports, film, music, gaming, immersive entertainment and tourism, we are observing the same repeating pattern. Organizations that were built for one purpose are expanding into new, multipurpose arenas. Facilities designed for production are being reimagined as creator spaces. Stories once confined to a stage or a screen are becoming audience experiences. 

As the driving force behind Trilith's development, Cathy shares his vision for 2026 as the year when all the pieces come together, from new hotels and restaurants to the grand opening of Trilith LIVE, positioning the community as a major player in Georgia's booming entertainment economy.

Writer, director, and producer Aaron Strand sat down with Georgia Entertainment to discuss his micro-budget feature "Withdrawal," a raw examination of addiction and codependency that follows a singer-songwriter and her rebellious boyfriend as they attempt to quit heroin cold turkey to avoid rehab. Shot entirely in Athens with a Georgia-based cast and crew, the film premiered to a sold-out crowd at the Atlanta Film Festival.

Commentary from Georgia Entertainment Editor in Chief, Jennifer Reynolds. "The media is no longer fueled by reporting the truth. Now, misrepresentation, political agendas and clickbait are the heartbeat of this industry."

For nearly two hours, I talked. I bragged about Georgia’s state-of-the-art facilities. I touted its investment in training a skilled labor force—some of the best crews in the world. I celebrated the collaboration across the Department of Education and the University System of Georgia to develop curriculum pipelines from middle school through graduate programs that nurture the next generation of storytellers.