A top Hollywood producer is adding more ammo to the industry’s fight against the onslaught of anti-abortion legislation.
Godzilla: King of Monsters stomped into theaters this weekend with $179 million in global receipts. Its US take of $49 million, while good enough for first place, wasn’t exactly earth-shattering.
It’s been a busy month for film and television production in Georgia this May. Here’s what we saw, where it shot, and how to spot it in your neighborhood.
Greg has decades of experience working on major studio productions with credits that include Avengers: Infinity War, Zombieland 2, Grimm TV series, Gremlins 2, Fight Club, Sleep Hollow, American Horror Story and others.
The nominations for the 2019 CMT Awards, which focus on country music videos, have been announced, and lots of Georgians are among them. Here’s a quick rundown
If you are a SAG-AFTRA member who flies for work or pleasure within the United States, starting in October 2020, you will need a new ID to be able to board a plane
“The response on the ground has been incredibly gratifying,” Chernin, CEO of the Chernin Group, said. “On the ‘Fear Street’ set, a number of women staff have given incredible feedback. Departments like the camera people on ‘P-Valley’ are starting a crowdfunding campaign to give to the ACLU as we have.”
“I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it very carefully,” Iger told Reuters.
Disney’s Aladdin got all of its wishes and soared off to a $114.3 million start over Memorial Day weekend in the US. With that figure, it earned the fifth highest opening ever for the beginning of the summer holiday.
The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is seeking diverse short films — about the South, set in the South, or directed by Southern filmmakers — exploring a variety of themes and perspectives that best represent the voices from the South
“Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.”
We’ve learned that actress Mikaela Hoover (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Emma Roberts (We’re the Millers) have just been cast to star in Netflix’s upcoming romantic comedy “Holidate,” produced by McG’s Wonderland Productions, and have just touched down in Atlanta to shoot for the next few weeks.
“SCAD’s nearly 4,000 fashion graduates are now design leaders at Anthropologie, Marc Jacob, Kenneth Cole, Kate Spade, Abercrombie, Chanel, Lily Pulitzer, and just about every other major brand,” said SCAD President & Founder, Paula Wallace.
From the former stay-at-home mom who now has a steady job as a zombie to the farm boy who was a paid extra on “Stranger Things” and now leads movie tours, to the once sleepy, postcard-perfect town of Senoia, which has served as a giant set for “The Walking Dead,” so many Georgia workers, property owners and service industries rely on film and television income that the region.
Similar to San Diego Comic-Con and Dragon Con─held in Atlanta during Labor Day weekend─MomoCon focuses on Japanese and American animation, gaming and comics. The event also features celebrity panels and attendees participating in cosplay.
Hundreds of producers, writers, designers, and industry leaders are set to descend on Duluth in October for the annual Catalyst Content Festival (formerly ITVFest). A new tax incentive program would give them one more good reason to return and stay.
We are excited to have someone with her depth of knowledge and experience lead the CFC. We are confident that her prior experience, both in Production and Government, will well serve all the stakeholders who work in the motion picture and television industry here in California.
“Serious productions that are already there, it’s so expensive to move a show, it’s very, very difficult to do that,” she observed, noting that the Georgia law will be tied up in courts for years before it’s ever, if ever, implemented.
Bowen will discuss film and television production in the area, including existing barriers to its continued expansion and the risks presented by potential boycotts. Bowen’s law firm specializes in commercial and entertainment law, and he has expanded his involvement to larger interests in the film industry.
Most recently, Ideas United expanded its infrastructure to develop original content, including five television pilots based on the top concepts submitted from nearly 1,000 of its top emerging creators worldwide.
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) continues its AJFF Selects screening series with Tel Aviv on Fire, a big-hearted satire where a soap opera writer finds himself caught in the crossfire of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, regional film commission officials say economic impact studies have shown the state reaps a return of nearly $2 on every dollar of movie production spending.
The Republican made a closed-door visit to Pinewood Studios and met Wednesday with students at the Georgia Film Academy, saying in a statement he appreciates an industry that “generates economic opportunity in every corner of our great state.”
Paul Gessing is the President of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation. The Rio Grande Foundation is an independent, non-partisan, tax-exempt research and educational organization dedicated to promoting prosperity for New Mexico based on principles of limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility.
From “Carol” to “The Old Man and the Gun,” Cincinnati has been featured in a slew of movies thanks to a tax break Ohio gives to productions doing business there.
Resurrecting momentous events in her personal history—including the physical spaces where they occurred—deftly-introspective British moviemaker Joanna Hogg created The Souvenir, a semi-autobiographical drama which centers around a film student drowning in a detrimental love affair.
Tariffs and enhanced tax enforcement are going to raise the price of the gear you use every day to make your films.
According to Tammy Smith Casting Hillbilly Elegy, based on the memoir by JD Vance, will also be filmed in Clayton, Georgia, as well as Atlanta.
An entire month’s passed since the 43rd annual Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) brought together nearly 30,000 passionate filmmakers and cinephiles for 11 days of cultural discovery, artistic growth and opportunity.
There are thousands upon thousands who go to MomoCon every year, and each has their own reason for attending the four-day celebration of gaming, music, costuming, comics, visual arts and voice acting.
Sleeping in is a nice perk, but it comes with work; work that also happens to be rather fun. SoaR Gaming is an eSports company and brand, with Georgia as their home base. Several members of the team call metro Atlanta home, even though they’re drawn from all over the map.
When Scott Nickelson graduated from high school in New Mexico in the 1990s, he came straight to Georgia. It was a state he always wanted to live in, and he was determined to build a life here.
Drew Sawyer says content creation is how Moonshine got started. Today he tells us how more original content from already talented people in Georgia will set us onto another level of success for the state.
Detective Pikachu came very close to unseating the reigning box office champion, but its $58 million opening was just short of the incumbent film’s $63 million third frame take.
I absolutely and completely support anyone’s right to free speech. However, I’d like the folks who are considering abandoning Georgia to consider the most immediate victims this action.
While you won’t find its name featured prominently on movie posters alongside well-known castmates that include Diane Keaton, Pam Grier, Jacki Weaver and Rhea Perlman, Del Webb’s Sun City Peachtree served as an unexpected star of the show in the newly released movie, Poms.
“We’re trying to create a sustainable industry and basically what that’s going to require is us to do training locally, on the local level and so we’re working with our high school to develop programs that trains, hands-on training for the various parts of the film industry.”
“We’ve been building up our individual careers for years,” the group notes in its petition, “and many of us are active in various industry organizations, uniting to ride the ups and downs that so many of us experience in this business.”
Kemp spokesman Cody Hall said that the trip would now take place in the fall, and that the governor plans to soon tour Georgia film production firms and meet with employees to show support for the industry.
Alex Brownley is the General Manager, Post Dailies and Rentals at SIM International Atlanta. Today he talks about how Georgia’s growth has created numerous opportunities for people to further their careers in the entertainment industry.
It’s a bittersweet moment as we prepare for the end of an era with the final installment of the Avengers saga, Avengers: Endgame. To celebrate its release, we are taking a look back at the 12 Marvel Cinematic Universe films that have shot with Pinewood Group.
After 11 days of film screenings and events, drawing nearly 30,000 attendees, the 43rd annual Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) drew to a close last month marking a record year in terms of film submissions and attendance.
Chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier announced new members of his leadership team with the promotions of Morna Willens to Chief Policy Officer and Karen Silhol to Chief Financial Officer, and the addition of Ken Doroshow as Chief Legal Officer. Each position is effective immediately and reports to Glazier.
Perez’s full-length film Burnt Offering, a horror/thriller created entirely around metro Atlanta with Blackhall Studios, can be streamed on Amazon Prime and rented through Redbox.
“So I will be meeting with the director on Monday where we’ll start discussing in what particular roles he would want them to serve,” said Dr. Richard Baxter, CSU’s vice president of Engagement and Economic Development.
“This is a very exciting time for us,” states Sheena Wiley, producer and host of Georgia Box Office. “Amazon is great fit for GBO as we continue to grow our audience across different platforms.”
2019 marks the 38th Annual Savannah Jazz Festival, featuring 27 free performances highlighting regional, national and international world-class jazz in the Lowcountry.
On its second week out, Avengers: Endgame has met and surpassed all expectations, easily sailing past Titanic ($2.187 billion) to become the second-highest worldwide grosser with $2.189 billion global. Only Avatar ($2.8 billion), still the top worldwide, stands in its way.
Celebrating its 15th year, MomoCon is among the fastest-growing “all ages” conventions in the country, with more than 110,000 turnstile visitors expected in 2019.
Noting the success of 1972’s “Deliverance,” Gov. Jimmy Carter created the state’s film commission in 1973, and, more importantly, kicked-off a tradition of “can do” in Georgia.
Missouri’s tax credits don’t actually help the state or its residents, but he says the film tax credit might be different. “It has a lot of guaranteed money” spent in the state, he said, so it could actually be worth it.
The Atlanta Jazz Festival is pleased to announce its 2019 sponsors, which help to keep the Atlanta Jazz Festival a free attraction to thousands of Atlantans and visitors alike.
Simon, also the author of the industry bible, Storyboards: Motion In Art, 3rd Edition, got his storyboarding start while working at HBO with OJ Simpson on the hit series 1st and 10.
He says right now, 18 other states have or are considering similar legislation, and it hasn’t actually been implemented in any of them. Bowen says the bootom line is the production companies decide where to film, and they aren’t the ones calling for a boycott.
Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Not only does our state welcome a record number of visitors each year, but travel and tourism creates jobs for 471,000 Georgians. The industry’s continued growth reaffirms that travel matters to every community in Georgia and makes our state a great place to live, work and do business.”
Noel Braham (B.A. ’11) continues to find success in the film and television industry, recently taking home two Daytime Emmy nominations for his original short film, “Watchtower.”
The Stewart Detention Center, which is contracted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is located in Lumpkin, and serves as the film’s focal point.
“Improvement requires assessment,” festival director Stephen Sherwood said. “If you want to improve as a filmmaker you need the honest feedback of seasoned professionals on your work.”
Under pressure as production fled the home of Hollywood for more tax lucrative realms like Georgia, the state introduced an incentive program in 2009 that the CFC ran.
Seven films by African American filmmakers were shown in Macon this weekend as part of the first-ever Tubman African American Film Festival.
The timing could not have been better. Creature Comforts was celebrating its fifth year right as ‘Endgame’ hit theaters. The team got a private showing of the film to celebrate.
Bo Bowen is the founder of The Bowen Law Group based in Savannah and serving clients all over Georgia. Today he speaks about growing the entertainment business in the region and how 2018 was a break out year but opportunities and challenges remain.
After a small stumble with Dumbo earlier this month, the empire has struck back, and Disney is once again on top of the charts. Avengers: Endgame put up a record-shattering $1.2 billion global debut, the biggest of all time, and in less than a full frame Marvel’s latest super hit is already the best-selling movie of 2019.
The 31 Days of Jazz will kick-off with Live from Woodruff Park on Wednesday, May 1. This free event will happen every Wednesday in May from 5 – 8 p.m. The first Live from Woodruff Park event will feature a performance from Atlanta’s own Gritz and Jelly Butter.
Three teams of Georgia State students collaborated with Burmese Rohingya, Karen and Kurdish community members, including students and alumni of Georgia State’s Perimeter College.
“Our biggest competitor has not been Los Angeles – they do primarily TV now – but Georgia. We now have a much better ability to compete with them. Because we have such close proximity to Los Angeles – [it’s] a two-hour flight so producers and actors can fly home for the weekend.”
Rakowiecki created an entirely animated video, focused on deterring the demand that fuels human trafficking, that will be used in training sessions for IHTI volunteers and for social media campaigns.
Kit Vinsick has joined Craig Miller Productions (CMP) as a commercial and film director. Kit hails from New York, and is a proud Georgian by choice. Before moving to Atlanta she was gaining notoriety as a commercial and indie filmmaker.
Host Kalena Boller visited the Savannah College of Art and Design to find out how the university is teaching cultural changes in the film industry. She also visited the set of a student produced sitcom called G.R.I.T.S., which is short for Girls Raised in the South.
“They’re just a lot of production companies out there shooting stuff, building infrastructure, creating jobs and so I think Missourians are finally realizing this is an opportunity that we really need to explore and look into.”
Rome Communications Director Kristi Kent said the film industry is one of five main targets for her marketing efforts, along with leisure travelers, groups or meetings, sporting events and wedding business.
‘In a research paper, Florida TaxWatch stated that film incentives support “high quality, high paying jobs” with an average salary 68 percent than the national average. Florida needs to stop losing film business to Georgia.’
The Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Love Takes Flight was filmed in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, Parade shared. DeLoach said this was perfect for her because it was just 90 minutes from her hometown and family. “What a dream!”
Those getting the tax credit must submit tax verification reports with the state, according to an eight-page fiscal note. No more than $5 million may be requested from the Department of Commerce each year and no more than $7.5 million from the Department of Revenue.
These figures are compiled through the Solid Waste Task Force, a joint program between the MPAA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The Task Force was designed to promote environmentally friendly practices across the film and television industry.
Esports, or gaming, is one of the most lucrative, fast-growing sports in the world. Now Georgia is one of only five states in the country to recognize it as an official sport.
From Priyanka Chopra Jonas previewing the projects she’s working on this year (a book, a Bumble partnership, and numerous shows and movies) to Stacey Abrams teasing a presidential run (“Nothing is holding me back”), the first full day of the 10th annual Women in the World Summit was brimming with women leaders and notable conversations.
It was the worst Easter box office in 25 years. Out of 16 weekends so far in the current year, this was also the 13th time in which results were below those of 2018. As Hollywood is back in its gloomy mood, Avengers: Endgame, out in a few days, couldn’t come soon enough.
When Jeremiah Bennett came to Milledgeville in 2012 to work as a production assistant on the reality show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” he found much more than an interesting family that captivated America’s television audience.
“The Duke Ellington Tribute Concert is a beloved, long-standing tradition for Coastal Jazz Association. It’s our most popular monthly concert with a sold-out crowd year after year” says Howard Paul, board president for Coastal Jazz Association and President of Benedetto Guitars.
Kris Bagwell is EVP at EUE/Screen Gem Studios in Atlanta. Today he talks to us about issues that could impact the tax credits including social legislation and adding on items to what is already one of the best programs in the world.
The Georgia Southern University Department of Information Technology (IT) hosted TekLAN 46 throughout the IT building. Put on each semester by IT students, the event includes gaming, board games, movies, coding and networking, both on the computer and socially.
The Festival begins on May 3 with a 7 p.m. screening of the film “Tell Them We are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities at the Grand Opera House.” Special guests get reserved seating and are invited to a pre-screening reception and meet and greet with the filmmaker.
According to FilmLA data, Feature film production decreased 13.0 percent in the first quarter, to 708 SD. Timing appears to have played a role in the decline.
Film professionals say Missouri is missing out on millions of dollars in revenue – especially in small towns and rural areas. Senator Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg’s bill would bring back a tax incentive for bringing movies to Missouri.
Stepakoff’s goal is to turn Georgia into Y’allywood, the next Hollywood. “Your film academy believes in Georgia. We should train in Georgia,” he said at the Board of Regents meeting, which was held at Georgia Southern’s Armstrong campus.
Axis Replay offers a shared, community-driven workspace for location-independent workers. Located at 112 Krog St. #10, Atlanta, GA 30307, it is seeking GGDA members interested in game dev and/esports to work there.
And as far as generating overall economic development goes, the film tax credit numbers look even worse. That same Camoin report shows the state shelling out $1,447,915,071 in film credits over the years 2015 and 2016, while bringing in $1,552,161,401 in tax revenues.
“I’m a sucker for a good story,” Chris says. “Ultimately at the end of the day, we love being part of a great story that will last for generations. That’s what we do best.”
The investment will not only help preserve a historic mill, but it will also create a new home for the outstanding achievements of American women who have changed history and enrich the local community and its residents with the Hall’s educational programs and special events and exhibits.
The firm was selected for its 10.53% revenue growth to $55.72 million, 10.45% increase in the number of employees to a total of 296, and 5.56% increase in partner count that brought the total of partners at the firm to 38.
The Creative Coast exists to nurture the members of the Savannah community engaged in creative or innovative endeavors and to cultivate an environment in which they can thrive.
Alton Brown, the long-time Cobb County resident and mesmerizing Food Network mad scientist, is bringing an updated version of “Good Eats” back to life after seven years on hiatus.
So what can you look forward to seeing? Over 60 artifacts from critically acclaimed films to prominent televisions shows! If you’re thinking Stranger Things or The Walking Dead, you guessed right!
“The opportunity to integrate into the ethnically and gender diverse World of Areu Bros. Studios, allows Cinelease to take our solutions-oriented approach to the next level. From the inception of a project, we are on the ground with storytellers – supplying the right tools to tell their stories- without limitation.” Gannon Murphy, Cinelease’s Director of Business Development
Gannon Murphy is Director of Business Development at Cinelease. The company has 12 locations and today we asked about the firm’s commitment to Georgia.
As a former Miss Cobb County, Lace harnessed her talent for performing comedic dialogues into winning more than $26,000 in scholarships. She made it to the Miss Georgia pageant four times.
Governor Andrew Cuomo have approved $840 million in refundable credits for television and movie producers over the next two fiscal years. This comes on top of $7.3 billion worth of incentives provided to the industry since 2004.
S.B. 1595, which cleared the Senate on Friday, considers the first $200,000 of out-of-state wages as part of production companies’ Illinois labor expenses, in addition to all wages paid to state residents.
“Our partnership with DreamHack allows Chipotle to become even more engrained in the esports community,” said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer at Chipotle.