A panel of experts will discuss why public relations and media are imperative. Attendees will learn how PR can build your brand, how to find the right PR, when to get a PR person on your team, and tips to get media coverage.
Mitch Leff is the co-founder of Georgia Entertainment Public Relations Alliance. He talks about how they work with communities to ‘stand out’ once a production picks the state of Georgia. The key is messaging and branding to the right people.
The Tribeca Film Festival on Monday unveiled plans to kick off its 19th installment with the world premiere of director Mary Wharton’s Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President – a rockumentary-style presidential portrait that shows how popular music helped propel the folksy peanut farmer from rural Georgia to the White House.
The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) has announced March 7th as the date for the GPP South Georgia Regional Meeting, “Attracting Productions to South GA.”
The annual boutique festival will feature a powerhouse line up, including Old Crow Medicine Show, Galactic, Moon Taxi, Nahko And Medicine For The People, JJ Grey & Mofro, Spafford, The Vegabonds, Hedonistas, Voodoo Visionary and Webster.
When the deadline arrived, Belcher said, films were judged by an anonymous panel, which consisted of CMF employees and a few Georgia State staff. The short films were scored on a point system based on content, technical excellence and the overall quality.
The trade association Film Florida estimates that the $500 million in lost productions would have used more than 220,000 hotel room nights, produced 110,000 jobs, led to $1.3 billion in spending and increased tax revenues.
Think of Netflix’s show “Stranger Things,” which is based in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. They surely found one of the dozens of small towns across the state to film the series in, right?
Due for completion in early 2022, the new studio will offer physical production stages alongside digital media facilities tailored for special effects, augmented reality and animation, and will be located at the Thames Valley Science Park, a tech-hub 40 miles west of London.
“It’s time that we saw something besides a Georgia peach after a program,” said Steven Gorelick, executive director of the commission. “The people who live in New Jersey are extremely excited and proud about it. There’s a lot of pride seeing your town being captured by these great cinematographers and directors.”
“American Factory,” the local documentary that won an Academy Award on Sunday night, benefited from an Ohio tax credit program that has both its fans and critics.
“If you look at where we started or at least where we were when the film office became a part of SEDA and where we are today, it’s been a great steady growth projection.”
True or not, Savannah remains committed to historical preservation: Walking through town you’ll see architectural styles ranging from Federal to Georgian to Colonial to Gothic and Greek revival. If you’re shooting a script that requires a stately old courthouse, welcome to paradise.
The province needs to step up with its incentives and approval system or miss attracting some of the billions of dollars being spent on new content in North America.
The Savannah College of Art and Design’s (SCAD) economic impact on Georgia has reached an all-time high. According to a study conducted by Tripp Umbach, the leading national consulting firm for not-for-profit, arts, and tourism sectors, SCAD generates $766.2 million in annual economic impact for the state.
Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert: “I’m delighted we have such a great team with Visit Macon, our departments, and many others to market our community and help make these productions happen.”
“GAMEMASTER takes the love of gaming and elevates it to a whole new level through the first immersive, multi-platform, head-to-head competition for both casual and diehard gaming fans,” said show creator and executive producer John Colp
Mark Wofford is the General Manager of PC&E. The firm recently announced their purchase of the Bolt X, bringing creative possibilities for directors to capture new and unique footage. Mark explains why they made the purchase and other details of the Bolt X.
“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.
Georgia maintains representation in 12 strategic markets, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Europe, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, and the United Kingdom. These representatives play a critical role in facilitating international connections that generate economic success. Approximately two-thirds of Georgia trade involves markets where the state has representation.
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.
Speaking of the Economist Intelligence Unit: It ranked Atlanta the second-most livable U.S. city, behind Honolulu, and the 33rd-most-livable city in the world.
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.
After more than a decade since its implementation, the economic effects of the Georgia film tax credit are felt in every corner of the state. That’s why a geographically diverse collection of Georgia media outlets have spoken out to tout the program’s success – and what it means for their region.
Several key individuals gave brief testimony including Peter Stathopoulos, Mike Adkins, Dr. Richard Baxter and others. Below, see Stephen Weizenecker’s talking points from his comments. We are very encouraged by the progress being made on all fronts.
Variety reports Hart will play “a fictionalized version of himself who is tired of being a comedic sidekick.” His dreams lead him to meeting a famous director, played by Travolta, who will hilariously teach him how to become an action star.
Akins told committee members that the film tax credits have stimulated a 1,300 percent growth in his membership. The union chapter has grown from 400 members in 2008 with $8 million in wages to more than 5,000 members with $300 million in wages in 2019, most of whom are Georgia residents.
Frazier & Deeter, one of the largest public accounting and advisory firms in the United States, announced the expansion of its services via the acquisition of boutique consulting firm Arch + Tower. Arch + Tower offers a variety of consulting services focused on Customer Experience, Employee Experience, and Operational Excellence.
(Long story short: Drew flys back, the crew roams downtown Park City, Melissa wins $1K at an HBO McDonalds Documentary event, JP and Hannah do not win $1K, but do hang out with an owl).
Charles “Bo” Bowen of The Bowen Law Firm focuses heavily on the entertainment business in Georgia. He discusses the process of starting a new entity and how you can ensure more success by doing things right early.
It’s a new year, which means new movies and television programs filming in Atlanta. While we’re still in the slower part of the year, there’s no shortage of projects filming around the city. Here’s what we saw to start off 2020
Senate Bill 302 comes after a scathing set of audits the state Department of Audits and Accounts released last month that found Georgia’s film tax credit has been poorly managed while being touted as having more economic impact on the state than it actually does.
Etowah Film Festival will be back in 2020 for their second year at the Historic Canton Theatre in Canton, GA. From May 28-31, the festival will screen a mix of local, country-wide, and international short and feature films along with film industry panels, Q&A’s, a Friday night party, and a Sunday morning brunch.
As much as we all love using Unity to make games, it is also finding a home with governments and businesses that value its strength and versatility.
MomoCon is one of the fastest growing all ages conventions in the country with fans of Japanese anime, American animation, and games coming together for four days of entertainment. This year, the event moves to Hall B at the GWCC, doubling in size with room for more gaming, panels, and events.
Jeff Hudson is the owner of The Hudson Financial Group based in Columbus, Georgia. He talks about the amazing film activity in Georgia and how Columbus has benefited from this growth and the film tax credit.
Jill Schaeffer is a Producer at Eclipse Creative. She comes from international TV production companies and now being in Georgia she discusses the amazing growth of their company, local talent and the industry in general.
If you are not on Moonshine Post’s email list, you missed an incredible notation and documentation of the work the company performed in 2019. We especially like the image at the top of this special newsletter – The Look Back. We asked them if we could link and share the newsletter here. Take a look.
Mitch Glazier, Chairman & CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), released the following statement today in response to release of the text of Phase 1 of the U.S.-China trade agreement:
Always subject to change and often set before filming begins, here is the latest info on release dates for projects that filmed in Georgia. Courtesy Explore Georgia.
Governor Brian P. Kemp announced Georgia earned the top ranking for workforce development in the South Atlantic Region, according to Site Selection Magazine’s 2020 Workforce Development Rankings.
Yeah, it’s pretty quiet so far. Searchlight Pictures just bought “The Night House” in the first major on-the-ground deal. It’s a thriller – great scares. I spilled my cocoa during a bunch of the jump scares.
As a small festival in a college town, the Athens Jewish Film Festival has the ability to capitalize on the tight-knit community and build stronger bonds with local businesses and organizations.
But just because fewer productions are choosing to film in Florida doesn’t mean the Sunshine State has been absent from the silver (or small) screen – it just means another state has stepped in to the role of fake Florida.
Shelbia Jackson is the Director of the Dekalb Entertainment Commission. In this video, she speaks about the process they went through to determine a strategy to propel the region forward as it relates to film and entertainment.
“As the film industry continues to grow in Georgia, we are making a major investment in the latest technology by adding the Bolt X to our equipment line. This is a true game-changer in the Georgia film industry for all of our clients on film, tv or commercial shoots,” said PC&E General Manager Mark Wofford.
Representatives from Playa Azul Media (PAM) Studios, LLC, a Latina-owned studio and media company, attended an important event for Georgia filmmakers at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 26.
Representatives from the University of Georgia, Berry College, Chattahoochee Technical College, the Georgia Film Academy, and Reinhardt University were also at the student summit to provide guidance on pursuing a career in communications, film, and multimedia.
The reality is, the influx of movie and television production work and the billions generated by its presence in the state have spurred new career paths and business opportunities that did not exist a decade ago. We need to build on that reality, not endanger it by overreacting to what should be remediable tax collection problems.
John Grace, Film Instructor with Savannah Technical College, discusses the amazing opportunities their students get and how it prepares them for the industry.
The exciting New Urbanist community in Fayetteville, Georgia, meets these criteria. Pinewood Forest is just 23 miles south of downtown Atlanta and is an environmentally friendly community with many of the amenities people would now like to have in just walking distance.
Mayor Lori Henry spoke at the State of the City about the strides the city has been taking to improve Roswell as a filming location. Henry created the Mayor’s Movie Task Forces, which she said is partnered with the city of Roswell, Visit Roswell and the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.
In mid-2018, the startup Akili Interactive Labs asked the Food and Drug Administration to let it do something that’s never been done before: market a video game that physicians would prescribe to kids with ADHD.
Sony jumped into a strong lead over the long Martin Luther King Day weekend with their action-comedy Bad Boys for Life taking first in the US with $73 million during the three-day weekend. It had the second biggest release for January of all time after American Sniper.
Georgia welcomed 111.7 million international and domestic visitors in 2018, who collectively spent $36.9 billion in communities throughout the state and directly supported 478,000 jobs.
Gruters has sponsored a bill (SB 530) that would allow studios to get a rebate on some of the expenses they incur while filming in Florida. Productions would have to hire a Florida-based crew and spend 70 percent of their production time in the state to be eligible.
Much of the new “Black Widow” movie from Marvel Studios was shot in Europe, in places like Hungary, Norway, and the United Kingdom, but as we broke in September, part of the film also shot in Macon.
“Georgia Tech’s study puts to rest any doubts about the tremendous economic impact that film industry has delivered for the state,” said Kelsey Moore, executive director of the coalition.
The Design Network (TDN), the fastest growing streaming network for all things home, has announced the premiere of Celebrity House Sitting, a new series from Crazy Legs Productions.
Overall, on-location TV Drama production – a mainstay of the LA film economy – finished the entire year 2.7 percent below 2018 levels (at 4,716 SD), but still 3.6 percent ahead of its five-year category average.
Arts organizers are asking for scripts for narrative short films of any genre. The film shouldn’t be longer than 15 minutes and the script should be 10 pages or less.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the event will take place Feb. 10 through 27 at seven metro Atlanta venues. It will kick off with the Opening Night, world-premiere screening of “Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance,” a film about partnerships between blacks and Jews, at the Cobb Energy Centre.
The film, “Rekindling,” will be RKDS’ seventh film produced in South Georgia including “Spook Bridge,” which had its world premiere for three nights at Mathis Auditorium in 2017, a theatrical run in 2018 and is now available nationwide on DVD.
All of Georgia’s Entertainment Elite came out to the grand opening of Aztec Warrior Studios and enjoyed a high-energy, high-level of networking and celebration of the newest Film & TV Production Studio in the Atlanta market.
Associated Press reports “Bad Boys for Life” exceeded expectations coming away with a dominating No. 1 showing at the box office. The Sony Pictures film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence brought in $59 million in the U.S. and Canada entering the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
The United States House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The following is a statement from Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin.
Mark Wofford is General Manager of PC&E, an employee owned rental company located in Atlanta. The company serves clients all over the state and works to stay on the cutting edge of technology for their production clients doing TV and movies in the state.
Meghan Bernstein is the Branch Manager of Norcostco, the leading supply house for makeup in the Southeast. She talks about the company and their growth in Georgia. The firm has expanded its product line by 30% and continues to offer more services.
The Georgia film tax credit has worked as intended and built an industry that spends nearly $3 billion per year in the state and employs tens of thousands of Georgians in high-paying jobs, the Georgia Screen Entertainment Coalition said today in response to the state of Georgia’s audit.
“Parasite” was the big winner, taking home four awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Bong Joon-ho, Best Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film. “1917” recieved three awards—Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Original Score.
Wondering what’s being filmed in Georgia right now? Whether you want to try to score a role as an extra or just want to see if you can spot any familiar locations in upcoming movies and TV shows coming out this year, these are the films you should be on the lookout for.
State Sen. Joe Gruters’ modest film production proposal comes just years after state lawmakers killed off a successful movie production incentive program. And that state lawmakers have sought to doom funding for the state’s tourism and corporate relocation efforts.
Editor’s note: We get many newsletters and for executives in media might we suggest The Term Sheet written daily by Polina Marinova. See her commentary today about the mega fundraising happening with Quibi.
Peter Stathopoulos is a Partner and leads Bennett Thrasher’s State and Local Tax practice. He has been heavily involved with film and entertainment industry. He talks about Georgia’s lead when it comes to films deciding to shoot here and views from other states.
The city boasts an impressive film resume of its own. “The Accountant,” “American Made,” “Hidden Figures,” “Goosebumps,” and “The 5th Wave” were all filmed there.
Hollywood had practically ignored central Georgia’s largest city for two years prior to 2019. But its onscreen fortunes took a big upturn in the past 12 months.
“My music is my resistance,” says VA. “Battle Cry is my plea for us to step up to the plate and do what is right for this country, to make America a better place.”
The Avid Media Composer UserCertification course will equip students with a unique skill set and knowledge of industry standard digital imaging, editorial process and story forging on both motion picture and episodic nonlinear productions.
The Baltimore Film Office was created in 1979, and in the ensuing years, the city has been the backdrop for many cinematic classics—Barry Levinson’s Diner, the Al Pacino-starring …And Justice For All, and innumerable John Waters movies, just to name a few.
A new film and television production studio will open in Decatur this month, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Aztec Warriors Studios is located near I-285 and south of Covington Highway.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) welcomed the interest by the Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA) in improving administration of the state’s film tax credit program.
Alan Clark is the Chair of Taylor English’s Entertainment Sports & Media Group. The firm serves as an example of professional firms and companies that benefit directly from the film tax incentives in Georgia. Alan talks about doing business in the state and how they work with clients to reduce litigation risks while serving as a translator of sorts for creatives and entertainment companies.
To capture the Southern Gothic feel that Danuser was aiming for, “Mayflower” was filmed in his hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia. “It’s an incredible place to build stories. There’s a lot of darkness, but at the same time a lot of positive people. The south is a beautiful place to shoot. We didn’t need a lot of art direction, it’s just there.”
The Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) has announced their slate of nominees for the 2019 GAFCA Awards. Founded in 2011, this year marks the 9th annual awards program for the critics group. GAFCA is made up of 38 film critics from around the state, representing print, television, radio and online media.
A SCADFILM event is taking place in Atlanta on January 8th. Award-winng filmmaker, Alexandre Philippe will be in town with us exploring the history of horror, the importance of the genre, and why monsters make excellent metaphors.
With its move to Hall B of the Georgia World Congress Center, MomoCon nearly doubles its available space from 2019. That means more gaming, panels, events, activities, and meeting room seating.
Since the early days of cinema, action-adventure movies have transported and invigorated audiences around the globe. While the movies have evolved, boasting enormous budgets and dazzling technical feats, the staying power of any great flick comes down to the story.
“Legislators passed the film tax credit to start with, so if there are some that want to review it or have reservations about it or want to add to it, this certainly is their prerogative and we’ll be glad to work with them.”
Eatonton Georgia showcased their economic, workforce and political structure to producers, studio executives and other high level participants last Thursday evening at Barrel 118. Local and state officials joined leading local businesses to welcome gaming, music and entertainment executives to the city.
Over the past few years, Florida lost out on more than 70 major films and TV projects to other states costing $1.3 billion in lost economic activity and 110,000 potential jobs.
Areu wanted to be a cop. But as he likes to say, God had another plan. After taking on a job as a security guard at Warner Bros., he got the film bug.
Buzz Law is the President and CEO of Creative Financial Group, one of the leading wealth management and financial planning firms serving the entertainment industry. Year-end tax planning is very important for those in the film, music and gaming industry. Buzz talks about qualified charitable deductions from your required minimum distributions.
In a secluded valley in the foothills of Appalachia, American actor/entertainer Randall Franks hikes along a rocky ridge looking down on a pristine green field barely touched by the passage of modern time.
Gary Wheat, President and CEO of Visit Macon, talks with our friends at Middle Georgia CEO about Visit Macon taking over the Film Commission and the economic impact film has on the community.
This isn’t the first brush with cable movie fame for Dahlonega General Store owner Jay Stone. His business was heavily featured in The Hallmark Channel’s Christmas in Homestead which aired in 2016.