October 24 – As the State of Georgia celebrates 50 years of the Georgia Film Office, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced recently another blockbuster year for the film and television industry as productions spent $4.1 billion in Georgia during fiscal year 2023.
The Georgia Film Office, a strategic office within the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), reported that the State of Georgia hosted 390 productions, represented by 31 feature films, 55 independent films, 241 television and episodic productions, 40 commercials, and 23 music videos between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.
“Georgia remains a global leader in film, TV, and streaming productions,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Those who benefit most from the significant growth we’ve seen in this industry over the past couple of decades are hardworking Georgians who fill the many behind-the-camera jobs that come with each project. That’s why we’ve worked hard to attract these and other opportunities for those who call the Peach State home.”
According to a recent report out of Los Angeles, Georgia has now surpassed New York as the state with the second-highest amount of soundstage footage in the U.S., and is poised to become No. 1 if the growth continues as projected.
Film support service companies, including these soundstage campuses, are not eligible to receive the film tax credit. Spending on facility construction does not qualify for Georgia’s film tax credits. To qualify for the Georgia film tax credit, productions must utilize tax-paying Georgia-based vendors.
In FY23, BlueStar Studios continued construction on a new $180 million film and TV production facility in Forest Park. In Douglasville, Great Point Studios’ new facility Lionsgate Atlanta is investing $200 million to construct a 500,000-square-foot, full-service, film studio and modern entertainment complex.
Athena Studios, a $60 million investment in Athens, opened its doors in January with 120,000 square feet of purpose-built space ready for TV and film production. Electric Owl Studios in DeKalb County opened its 140,000-square-foot production facility that is the world’s first ground-up LEED Gold-certified studio campus in June, and NBCUniversal signed a long-term partnership with Gray TV, which is constructing more than 1 million square feet of stage space at Assembly Atlanta in Doraville.
Former Governor Jimmy Carter established the Georgia Film Office to attract more productions to the state, which would help local economies through hotel nights, spending, and encouraging tourism.
“We talk about the amount spent on a production, but we’ve also seen the enormous impact a project may have years, even decades, after it has shot in our state – and that’s nearly impossible to quantify,” said Georgia Film Office Director Film Lee Thomas. “We know that tourists flock to Covington not only because of recent projects like ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ but also because five episodes of ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ were shot there four decades ago. In just a few seasons, ‘The Walking Dead’ helped transform Senoia from six storefronts to more than 150 small businesses downtown. In Hall County, an enterprising local fishing charter company began offering ‘Ozark’ tours of the filming locations for more than $300 per person due to high demand and limited space. Beyond the direct spend, it may take years, even decades, to understand the complete economic impact of a project on an area.”