This is your last week to apply to speak at CIMFest June 12! The Columbus Interactive Media Festival (CIMFest) gets better every year, and grew even as we went virtual in 2020! This year’s event will be hybrid, with most of our sessions happening online, but with Columbus State University opening to a 50-person socially distanced event on site.

The American Rescue Plan provides absolutely essential economic relief for workers in the American creative community who continue to face an uncertain path back to work due to the pandemic. This legislation’s extension of CARES Act and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation benefits into early September, as well as critical tax forgiveness for the first $10,200 of unemployment insurance claimed in 2020, will provide much-needed certainty for creative community workers and their families.

We said from the beginning that the severity of this health crisis demands decisive action from our federal government. Saying this shouldn’t be a partisan statement. It was true a year ago, it was true during the November election, and it is true today.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced that Tina Lilly will be the new Executive Director of Georgia Council for the Arts, effective immediately. Lilly has served Georgia Council for the Arts for the last 14 years, most recently as director of the organization’s $2 million grant program.

Lawmakers in Georgia are looking to extend the state’s sales and use tax to digital goods and services. If House Bill 594 is enacted as written, audiovisual works, electronic books, video games, and a host of other digital products and services would be subject to sales and use tax starting July 1, 2021.

The 14-min. film uses audio interviews of mothers, doulas, and birth professionals alongside a visual exploration of cabbage birthing myths and fairytales throughout history in order to investigate the modern-day cabbage patch fairy tale and its connection to the lack of candid discussion about birthing in our society.

Steve Mensch, who oversees operations at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, says just a few months into the pandemic last year, the studio started quarantining hundreds of cast and crew members in on-site housing.

This year, the judges also recognize one filmmaker as a Rising Filmmaker – JACOBE LOVE with his documentary A DANGEROUS SILENCE, about domestic violence in Columbus, GA.

Camera crews filming a big screen movie is not a common site in the little town of Waycross. Yet, the town’s charm was enough to convince a director as the right place to make his movie.

Calculating Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) might be complex, but maximizing your benefit doesn’t have to be.

“We are proud to be a part of the evolution of Blackhall Studios as their expansion brings economic growth opportunities and quality jobs to our County,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond.

Carol Gertjegeders was just a child when her mother, Ophelia DeVore Mitchell, opened a charm school in 1946 in New York City. Her charm school, Grace Del Marco Models, was a stepping stone for black women who wanted to be in the entertainment industry.

The agreement will make Peach Maria Productions — producers of the upcoming reality competition series, GAMEMASTER, with host Wil Wheaton — the largest Reality Engine virtual production operation in the world by the end of 2021.

Like festivals all over the world – from Sundance to Oxford, MS – the South Georgia Film Festival will include virtual programming! You can watch over 100 films this year from the comfort of your home through your Smart TV, laptop, or phone!

At a meeting of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Committee on Real Estate on Tuesday, Sandra Neuse, the University System of Georgia’s vice chancellor for real estate and facilities, presented the board with plans to convert the campus into a major production studio, in partnership with Georgia Film Academy.

Awards-show season is in full swing, and it kicked off with the Golden Globes on Sunday night. Central Georgia had a hand in one of the award-winning movies. Sacha Baron Cohen took home Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for the Georgia-filmed ‘Borat’ sequel. 

During the month of March, we will be sharing this history, amplifying women’s voices, and honoring the magnitude of their influential work and unyielding dedication to the union and entertainment industry.

MomoCon, the fan-favorite Atlanta event celebrating gaming, pop culture, and animation, will not hold its in-person event originally scheduled on May 27-30, 2021, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

No Address depicts the criminaliza4on of homelessness and how communities across the country can implement proven practical solutions to address this epidemic.

Larry Elmore is one of the most recognized names in game art, and his SIEGE workshop was our most popular. Join us 2 pm EST March 9 for a character art demo as Larry lets us join him to complete his Women of Dragonlance painting. GGDA members can join us in Discord to get their questions answered.

Oklahoma’s film production sector, which the state has designated an essential business, has continued building on growth that has some industry watchers comparing it to Atlanta as a top U.S. filming destination.

Georgia filming continues apace in February, with at least 52 known active productions, the most since The Atlanta Journal-Constitution began monthly tracking in June 2019.

Along with over 100 films, the fifth annual South Georgia Film Festival will feature a live podcast recording from the nationally recognized AFC Indie Filmmaking Podcast.

Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that the State of Georgia ranked among the United States’ Top Ten exporting states in 2020 for the first time. Georgia merchandise exports reached 215 unique countries and territories and experienced the lowest rate of export contraction among all top ten states, despite headwinds from a global pandemic.

In South Carolina, Erskine and Newberry Colleges offer scholarships. In North Carolina, it’s Belmont Abbey, Barton and Lees McRae colleges, while in Virginia, Marymount and the University of North America have gaming programs. And, institutions in Georgia such as Georgia State University also offer esports scholarships.

“As a life-long Fango fan and horror hound, it’s a great honor to be hosting the Chainsaws, especially in light of the difficult year that we’ve all faced together,” said Dastmalchian in a statement. “The isolation of 2020 was devastating and the amazing horror films of the past year helped many genre fans to endure the lockdowns as well as unifying the horror community in a wonderful way.”

Join GPP on Tuesday, March 2nd at 12 pm EST and learn more about the exploding possibilities of working in Visual Effects in Georgia! An insightful panel of VFX Artists from the Georgia Section of the Visual Effects Society will discuss pre-production, production, and post-production.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. John Albers, would allow the chairs of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committee to each request an economic analysis of up to five tax credits every year. The bill easily cleared the chamber Monday with a unanimous vote and now heads to the House.

Film and TV producers currently are working on 37 projects in the Peach State, up from 23 at this time last year, Lee Thomas, the state Department of Economic Development’s deputy commissioner for film, music and digital entertainment, told members of a Georgia House committee Monday.

Always subject to change and often set before filming begins, here is the latest info on release dates for projects that filmed in Georgia.

This letter is to formally offer the White House COVID Response Team and FEMA our infrastructure and labor in the effort to build or convert vaccinations sites across the country.

The DreamHack Open is part of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for CS:GO, which combines multiple, previously unconnected ESL and DreamHack tournaments into dedicated circuits that build towards grand championships each year.

 Pedro Correa (The Middle), Booboo Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Raymond Cruz (Breaking Bad), Simon Rex (Scary Movie franchise) and Steven Bauer (Scarface) will star in My Dead Dad, a coming-of-age indie drama

Governor Brian P. Kemp, in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), today announced that more than 16,000 jobs were created across all regions of the state by economic development projects in Georgia during the first half of fiscal year 2021, generating nearly $6 billion in new investments.

Frazier & Deeter, a Top 50 accounting and advisory firm with offices in the US and the UK, announced today several changes to its senior leadership team. The firm has added new roles of Chief Strategy Officer and National Service Line Leader, while also separating the CFO and COO roles.

 ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, has unveiled an overview of its 2021 planning direction for esports tournaments and DreamHack festivals, providing a full list of dates. Included is DreamHack’s first live, in-person festival since the pandemic began.

COVID-19 critically halted the film industry cancelling all productions planned in Augusta after March 2020. The good news is interest in Augusta as a film production center grew. As the film industry had time on its hands, FILM Augusta saw inquiries and requests for information increase over 2019.

The play is a fictionalized portrayal of the recording of Rainey’s song of the same name and part of Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, a series of ten plays that tell the stories of African Americans throughout each decade of the 1900s.

Georgia-based game developer Hi-Rez Studios revealed several major content updates for its three competitive esports titles Rogue Company, SMITE, and Paladins.

Pharaoh’s Conclave (PCX), Georgia’s leading organization for diversity and inclusion in competitive video gaming, and the Thomas Family Fund are proud to announce a contribution of $160,000 to Morris Brown College in honor and memory of the family patriarch, Ronald Floyd Thomas (MBC 2002).

Florida is the only state in the Southeast without a program to compete for film and television projects, which puts us at a major competitive disadvantage. Our regional neighbors included the film and television industry as part of their post COVID-19 economic recovery.

IATSE joined the AFL-CIO and working people across the country Friday in praising the appointment of our union-brother and Mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, to serve as Secretary of Labor in the Biden Administration.

We are extremely disappointed to hear of the conflicting date, March 14th, announced today for this year’s Grammy Awards telecast. We announced the same date for the SAG Awards last July with the intent to give the greatest possible scheduling consideration for other awards shows. We expect the same consideration from sister organizations throughout the industry.

Everyone loved Richard. Generous, supportive, charming and witty, he was widely respected and admired here in Washington and beyond, and he was a fierce advocate for the creative industries and the Walt Disney Company — which for him was much more than a job.

Film sets are full of jobs for people. No matter the size of the project, there is always a buzz when you get on set. Everyone there is working together to bring a vision to life. There are lots of famous above-the-line jobs, but we’re trying to give you the information about the jobs that usually get forgotten. 

Want to know what your real voice sounds like as a creative? How do you communicate that to an audience? A client? Producers? Your voice is EVERYTHING.

We just LOVE this video of Council of Dads star J August Richards talking about all his favorite Savannah locations!! Watch as J. showcases The Alida Hotel, Leopold’s Ice Cream, Bluff Drive and The Original Crab Shack!

22 music community organizations released the following statement on Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property Chairman Thom Tillis’s proposal to restore balance to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), so that it can best achieve its objective to address online infringement

Always subject to change and often set before filming begins, here is the latest info on release dates for projects that filmed in Georgia.

While the stars are not indicative of the politics of the film industry as a whole, the prospect of the “heartbeat” bill had some threatening to boycott our state. We were on the verge of collapse. Some in the Georgia Legislature began to question the film tax incentives.

Dear Decaturish, It’s not news that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt by everyone in Georgia,…

A new study from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shows the video game industry in Georgia generates $801.4 million in annual economic output, either through direct industry output ($370 million) or via other participants in the video game ecosystem, such as suppliers and other supported output ($431 million).

Georgia’s popular Film Tax Credit will undergo significant changes as of January 1, 2021. House Bill 1037 (H.B. 1037) was drafted in response to a report released earlier this year by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA). The report revealed the use of inadequate procedures by the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) to verify expenditures that qualify for the credit, resulting in the improper granting of credits. H.B. 1037 was signed into law on August 4, 2020 and was designed to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.

As part of its annual “DreamHack Day” DreamHack has revealed a refreshed brand with an identity focused on the gaming community. The new look, created in partnership with WPP brand agency Superunion, also reflects the company’s evolution into a global destination for immersive, gaming lifestyle experiences where the community comes to life.

Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO, Peter Bowden, remains optimistic as he said unions are working together with other industry professionals to get ack to business safely. Bowden said he thinks the industry will gear up as we move through winter and into spring.

“The pandemic has only underscored how great storytelling helps to connect people – even when they are forced to be apart. I look forward to continuing to work with our Members and partners to advocate for creators, protect their content and economic livelihoods, and sustain the unparalleled pioneering spirit that has characterized our industry for more than a century.”

Now after Joe Biden collected the state’s 16 electoral votes, besting Donald Trump by 12,670 votes and becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win Georgia since 1992, the question is, how has the surging entertainment business played a role in the state going blue?

While production is expected to drop off for the Christmas/New Year period, the number of active TV and films in Georgia remains robust in early December.

Spurred on by film production’s growing ties to the state, the entertainment crowd has come out to support Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the runoff election, with an emphasis on supporting grassroots groups led by Black women.

Governor Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp announced the recipients of the ninth annual Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities. The awards were presented in partnership with the Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities.

Iconic horror brand Fangoria, under new ownership as of this summer, is relaunching its podcast network with new pod Colors Of The Dark, to be hosted by horror historians Elric Kane and Dr. Rebekah McKendry.

Blackhall Studios, a 150-acre complex about 10 minutes south of downtown, would add 538,000 square feet of sound stages, 200,000 square feet of offices, 420,000 square feet for warehousing and 22,000 square feet of catering space, according to a filing made through the state’s Development of Regional Impact (DRI) program. 

Many are returning shows such as the CW’s “Stargirl” and “Dynasty,” FXX’s “Archer,” the syndicated “Divorce Court” and OWN’s “Iyanla: Fix My Life.” Tyler Perry is also readying three of his shows to shoot consecutively.

On November 9, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator released a forward-looking plan to continue America’s bipartisan tradition of strong intellectual property policy and enforcement.

As the world’s greatest golfers teed off today at the Masters Tournament in Augusta to compete for the prized Green Jacket, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that the State of Georgia has shattered its own record by being named No. 1 for business climate for the eighth consecutive year by Site Selection magazine.