A major Hollywood film studio has been beefing up its Atlanta presence this year. Warner Bros. has leased more than 500K SF for studio space in two warehouse buildings and is in talks to take on a third, all clustered in the Atlanta Industrial Parkway warehouse district, some 10 miles west of Midtown Atlanta

Lee Thomas with the Georgia Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Office says there are “Two projects right now in Thomasville Georgia a Queen Latifah, Dennis Quaid movie. I mean it’s an exciting time with all the film making in South Georgia.”

Magic: The Gathering Arena is a free-to-play digital version of the immensely popular card game Magic: The Gathering, and is developed and published by Wizards of the Coast.

People in surprising professions were in attendance, like massage therapists, makeup artists, doctors, hair stylists, and janitors. All of these workers are involved when a production comes to town, and it is critical to have their input in film meetings like this.

Netflix announced production for “Red Notice” back in July featuring an star-studded cast. Dwayne Johnson (Skyscraper, Jumanji: The Next Level), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) will star in the action-thriller.

Savannah is a city built for film. With our sun-dappled squares, uniquely historic buildings, and verdant skyline, I like to say the city itself looks like a film set. It also means the infrastructure that brings film and television production from around the world to film here.

No, the local high school graduate isn’t playing the iconic secret agent, but Magnussen is cast in the next installment of the James Bond franchise alongside stars Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch and Ralph Fiennes.

The television and film industry has had a $2.4 million economic impact on Rome and Floyd County over the last five years, but accounts for less than half of one percent of the economic impact which flows through the local tourism office.

John Stankey WarnerMedia CEO and AT&T president and chief operating officer, was on hand in Atlanta on Friday for the campus dedication at the complex that was once the corporate headquarters of CNN and other Turner channels.

From the desk where I write this, in my house in the Cabbagetown neighborhood of downtown Atlanta, I could toss a hunk of Georgia red clay and hit the bungalow where the actor Jason Momoa was rumored to have lived while shooting “The Red Road,” a discontinued TV series set in the fictional town of Walpole, New Jersey.

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon visited Washington, D.C., during the week of Nov. 11 in a successful effort to draw policymakers’ attention to the issues faced by working creative professionals and to discuss the continued economic benefits of the film and television industry across the United States.

Fall has been a busy season in Savannah, with local events such as the much anticipated annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, the premier of several prestigious projects filmed in the Savannah region, and the launch of production of a major network series.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that it has named K. Kim Atterbury as Senior Vice President of Media Relations, effective immediately.

Capricorn’s historic Studio A is reopening this week, after years of work by Mercer University and other supporters to restore and equip it with state-of-the-art technology.

Prosecutors say Bailey provided pyrotechnic effects for the movie “The Poison Rose” despite a prior felony conviction that kept him from having an explosives license. 

In addition to fighting voter suppression tactics and positioning herself as a running mate on the ticket with the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, Abrams has assumed a new role as executive producer for a new television show in development at CBS.

The MGM film centers on young boy who seeks out whether a superhero, who vanished 20 years earlier following a tragic event, is still alive, according to Deadline.com. 

With Thanksgiving holidays in the rearview, production crews are hard at work on more than 40+ TV shows and movies throughout Georgia.

Tonya Powell, Monica Johnson, Natalie Howard, and Stacey Ross, who are all Bainbridge High School graduates, have the opportunity to be crewmembers on this production. There responsibilities include educating and ensuring the safety of the minors who are apart of this production. 

Emmy Award-nominee Weiss has co-written some of Hollywood’s most successful, endearing family films, from Academy Award-nominated features Shrek 2 and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius to the Rugrats franchise. To date, Weiss’ total box office cume for his combined work exceeds $2.3 billion worldwide.

But far and away, the big winner in Wednesday’s debate of Democratic presidential debates in Atlanta was Tyler Perry and Georgia’s surging TV and film industry.

By requiring broadcasters to get permission from music creators to use their music in the same way broadcasters are entitled to give permission for the use of their signal – the AM/FM Act addresses inequities in law that should be fixed. 

The GGDA, IGDA-Atlanta, and the Game Dev Meetup Group combined holiday party has become a great tradition and a must-do addition to your December.

People living in Tifton have noticed the influx of traffic that has been coming through the city now that Thomasville Pictures has begun filming in the Friendly City.

DreamHack Atlanta 2019 is being held at the Georgia World Congress Center this weekend. More than 25,000 gamers are expected.

A great video from Film Savannah…

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

Savannah has plenty in the way of major chain hotels and some charming B and B options, but what’s been missing up until now is a place that captures the spirit of the city but also offers a certain level of luxury and sophistication. Cue the new Perry Lane Hotel.

With the boom in the state’s entertainment industry over the last decade, his practice has broadened from representing film and TV production companies to the video game and  emerging esports industry in Georgia.

Sarah Aliffi-Baez, Senior Catering Sales Executive at Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resorts and Spa, discusses all the work they do with the growing entertainment industry in Savannah.

A new report released by the Georgia Game Developers Association shows how it impacts the economy for the state. Dr. Jay O’Toole, an Assistant Professor at Elon University’s School of Business in the department of Management and Entrepreneurship, wrote the report. Georgia’s game development studios and workers participated in the survey.

This week, Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced Georgia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, matching the lowest percentage since 1976. Additionally, Georgia set a record number for total jobs in the state at 4.64 million. Since 2010, Georgia has added 805,000 jobs.

From his vacation home in Barcelona, Cohen told the AJT, “We chose Georgia because of the tax credit {the highest in the U.S.] but Georgia was missing the last part in the process. In the past, the filming was done here, but then left for LA to finish the job.”

Executive Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Atlanta Camille Love addressed the audience with a moving speech about her love for the cultural scene in the city.

It was another whirlwind week for Rome International Film Festival Executive Director Seth Ingram as the 16th annual event came to a close Sunday with hopes of an even brighter future for Rome’s film tourism industry.

Georgia’s film tax credits bring productions to the state, but the rarity of the six-story jail building, with its built-in courtrooms and law enforcement office space sealed the deal for the team working on a film Monday at the site, several said.

In her remarks before the committee, Carrie Fischer Lepore, deputy secretary for marketing, tourism and film in the Pennsylvania Department of Community Economic Development, said the state has approved $812 million in tax credits to film companies since the program’s launch.

Watching other provinces like B.C. and Manitoba grow their film industries is enticing to Barnett, who is considering leaving Alberta to concentrate on her career in film.

Every one of these states is doing something different to pitch you as the filmmaker, and the filmmaker needs to know that there are options. You can make your Vietnam movie in Savannah. You can make your Manhattan movie in Albuquerque. It’s just that the filmmaker has to do their homework.

Last week, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Arsenio Hall, and Eddie Murphy caused quite the fan frenzy while in between scenes at Tyler Perry Studios. They stopped and posed for an iconic photo in the making. 

The film industry in Georgia is still going strong. The latest cinematic endeavor,” The Tiger Rising,” will begin filming this week in Thomasville, with big name stars like Queen Latifah, Dennis Quaid and newcomer Madalen Mills.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has scaled up in a big way. The pro wrestler turned actor recently paid $9.5 million for a sprawling 46-acre ranch in the small town of Powder Springs, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

After introducing faith-based films “Fireproof, ” “Courageous” and “War Room,” the Albany-based Kendrick Brothers company recently added a new movie to the mix.

Atlanta is nicknamed the “Hollywood of the South” for a reason. But turns out, Athens has made a name for itself in the film industry with documentaries and short films as well. Here is a list of 7 films where you might catch a glimpse of the city you call home.

The film, which is based on a true story, centers on revolutionary businessmen Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Jackson), who devise an audacious and risky plan to take on the racially oppressive establishment of the 1960s by helping other African Americans pursue the American dream.

The agreement, which covered the sales and marketing of the studio, as well as the studio operation and management services, will come to an end on 31 March 2020. The studio will remain branded and operated as a Pinewood facility until then.

Millsap, who opened Blackhall Studios in the spring of 2017, has invested $75 million in the current facility, and he intends to spend another $150 million on its expansion. But that’s only a small part of the equation.

Wonder Women: Producers included: Amy Emmerich, president North America, Refinery29; Carla Hacken, producer and president, Paper Pictures; Alison Owen, How to Build a Girl, Elizabeth, Harlots; Sue Naegle, chief creative officer, Annapurna Pictures.

International politics has now entered the world of video games. A professional player of the game Hearthstone has forfeited his winnings and has been banned from competing for a year. His crime? Vocally supporting the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests. NPR’s Andrew Limbong reports that decision prompted a furious response.

“The Film Festival is incredible,” said Andrea Reeve-Rabb, the dean of SCAD’s entertainment arts. “Over 63,000 people come and that means $15 million worth of economic impact to Savannah.”

The 1D X Mark III builds upon its predecessor in many ways, especially when it comes to autofocus. It features an enhanced autofocus system with a new algorithm, subject tracking using Deep Learning Technology, and an optical viewfinder that uses a new autofocus sensor that has 28x the resolution of the 1D X Mark II.

Due to oversubscription from the previous grant-based program, however, new money for film tax credits will only be $15 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year, $30 million in 2021-22 and $45 million in 2022-23.

The state currently offers up to a 25% tax credit or cash rebate on money spent by productions in the state, with the program capped at about $8 million each year. The program is considered conservative compared to other states such as Illinois and Georgia with larger breaks and no cap.

The forthcoming debate is also slated to be moderated by four women, according to MSNBC, including Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell, Ashley Parker and NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker.

Designed to reflect today’s dynamic entertainment industry, the new space includes a state-of-the-art theater with expanded seating capacity, an elegant event venue with floor-to-ceiling windows, and a museum-style exhibit featuring props, costumes, and memorabilia from iconic films and television shows. 

As Georgia continues its growth in the film and entertainment industry, more creative talent outside of the Atlanta “Loop” has gotten involved in the business of making movies.

It was important to us that our movie look like “Anywhere U.S.A” and we didn’t want to shoot in LA and have palm trees sticking out everywhere. But while looking at different cities and towns in Georgia (Savannah and Augusta specifically), none felt right. They felt so Southern!

Local nonprofit Georgia STAND-UP is offering “We Show Up,” a four-week workforce development program focused on creating skilled workers for Georgia’s film and television industry.

Clifon Powell joins FULL COUNT stars Elizabeth Omilami and Afemo Omilami at the red carpet world premiere screening of the film at Regal Atlantic Station. The faith-based sports drama will be available in select theaters and in over 100 million homes through its VOD and digital release on October 25.