Georgia was in the spotlight this weekend as Usher represented the state and Atlanta at the Super Bowl. More on the Super Bowl later including the Jonesboro High School Majestic Marching Cardinals involvement. We were equally excited to follow two independent film success stories in Georgia. ‘Possum Trot’ and ‘Popular Theory’ also had big weekends.
Georgia truly has the potential to inspire our world, while harnessing the power of the Creative Economy for good, and we must embrace that.
Based on the true story of a small church in East Texas, POSSUM TROT is executive produced by Letitia Wright (BLACK PANTHER, Founder of 3.16 Productions), Nika King and Joe Knittig, directed by Joshua Weigel (THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS), written by Joshua and Rebekah Weigel (THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS), and produced by Joshua and Rebekah Weigel (Peacetree Productions).
On February 21, we will bring together the vibrant community of film, gaming, music and other entertainment executives that make up Georgia’s Creative Economy. The event, the intersection of Georgia’s entertainment renaissance and inclusive philanthropy, will be a convergence of industry leaders and visionaries, reflecting our commitment to shaping a more inclusive future for the state’s creative industries.
In the Creative Economy a key metric of success is the rise to “Stardom”, or an individual becoming a “Star”. Essentially this is a stratification of celebrity, and the calculus of Stardom is not straight forward, being dependent on the intent of the various players helping an individual achieve this status: agents and producers want sales, investors want returns, public relations consultants want identification, the stars want recognition and additional contracts.
The Walt Disney Company and Epic Games will collaborate on an all-new games and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences. Disney will also invest $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games alongside the multiyear project.
Steve Cohen of United Talent Agency shared incredible insights to a packed audience yesterday in Columbus at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. His comments complimented the updates shared by Film Commissioner Joel Slocumb about recent activity in the region along with updates about Flat Rock Studio, Columbus State University, Georgia Film Academy and advocacy efforts to promote rural film production.
In a joint press conference around tax credits and mostly targeting credits around data centers, House Bill 1180 was announced.
Georgia’s extraordinary entertainment industry lies in its people. It is time to reach all Georgians and provide them with opportunities in this thriving Creative Economy.
The client contacts in attendance included Andrew Ratcliff, CEO of Tweed Recording Studio, Lynda Smith, Founder of Entertainment Tourism of Georgia, Dugan Bridges, President of F7 Film Distillery and William McLane, CEO of Yom Ice Cream.