“The Beltline has a breadth of locations that would make it conducive to productions shooting there,” said Baxter, associate vice president of economic development at Columbus State University.

Escalante joined SCAD in 2018 and has been working as the university’s director of eSports. He added that he enjoys keeping his players physically active as if they were apart of a football or basketball team because reaction times and quick movements are as essential to playing esports as it is running a fourth quarter offense.

It appears most studios are full right now with a mixture of TV series, films and reality TV. Demand remains solid. 

The state ended its incentive program in 2013. The last film to receive a tax break from the state was “Gone Girl.” The 21st Century Fox film was shot largely in Cape Girardeau.

Although films including “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” and the Georgia-filmed “Avengers: Endgame” and “Richard Jewell” failed to win top categories, other films, including “1917,” “Marriage Story” and “Toy Story 4,” did. All the aforementioned films included SCAD alumni and students working on them behind the scenes.

“When I realized I needed a new direction, I thought about what I loved to do,” says Ben Lambeth, co-owner of Cinder Lighting & Grip. “I turned to a hobby of mine –– filmmaking.”

Working in conjunction with experienced intimacy coordinators, we developed a framework for the use of these specialized professionals. Intimacy coordinators bring safety and expertise to the set when our members are performing hyper-exposed work such as nudity or simulated sex.

Berkmar High School will house the district’s Film and Digital Arts program. An addition will be built to accommodate the new space required, said Steve Flynt, assistant superintendent for school improvement and operations during a presentation at the January Board of Education Work Session.