--- title: House Creative Arts & Entertainment Committee, March 11, 2026 collection: meetings id: 2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment cite_as: House Creative Arts & Entertainment Committee, March 11, 2026, video https://vimeo.com/1171904991 (machine transcript by Georgia Commons) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment/text source_url: https://vimeo.com/1171904991 date: 2026-03-11 status: machine transcript corpus_version: meetings-2026-10-23-8c15ead0f18d license: Machine transcript and summaries by Georgia Commons from the General Assembly's public video; the video stays on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-interstate-cooperation.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-rules.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/index.md chamber: House body: House Creative Arts & Entertainment Committee body_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment.md meeting_kind: committee session: 2025-2026 Regular Session start_time: 2026-03-11T11:00:00-04:00 location: 403 CAP duration_seconds: 5128.0 video_id: 1171904991 video_title: 3.11.26 Creative Arts & Entertainment agenda_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Creative Arts and Entertainment%2FCreative Arts & Entertainment Meeting Notice. 3.11.pdf summaries_model: gpt-6.1-sol transcript_turns: 281 transcript_chars: 80645 parts: - https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment.md?start=0 - https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment.md?start=59935 --- # House Creative Arts & Entertainment Committee, March 11, 2026 House Creative Arts & Entertainment Committee; March 11, 2026; 2025-2026 Regular Session. Video, on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/1171904991. Agenda: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Creative Arts and Entertainment%2FCreative Arts & Entertainment Meeting Notice. 3.11.pdf. > This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. ## Summary written by Georgia Commons Written by gpt-6.1-sol from the transcript below. It is not part of the record. Quote the transcript or the video, not the summary. The committee held an informational meeting celebrating Georgia’s Camera Ready program, which connects film productions with local contacts, locations and services. A state film office representative described a production slowdown and said activity was improving in 2026. Representatives from Rabun, Cherokee, Chatham and DeKalb counties described local spending, tourism, job training and coordination with productions. Industry and business witnesses urged lawmakers to preserve the film tax credit, citing its importance to workers, independent filmmakers and studio investments. Members asked about local economic benefits, program funding and the possible effects of eliminating the state income tax or tax credits. The chair emphasized that the meeting was intended to recognize film-ready communities, not change the tax credit. No bills were taken up or voted on. > The transcript runs 80,645 characters. A reader that cannot take it at once can read it in 2 parts: part 1 https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment.md?start=0; part 2 https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-03-11/house-creative-arts-and-entertainment.md?start=59935. ## Transcript (281 turns) [0:14:32](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=872s) All right. Good mo- Oh, hello. Hello, hello. All right, good morning. We're gonna call this meeting, uh, of the House Arts and Entertainment Committee, Creative Arts and Entertainment Committee to order. I'm gonna introduce, uh, Chairman Cheokas. He has a group that he wants to give a big shout-out to, so I think that's the right number. Number seven? Yeah. [0:14:56](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=896s) Yeah. [0:14:56](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=896s) All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, and guests. Uh, it is my honor to recognize my group of young students, uh, from the Sumter County EMC Youth Leadership Cohort. Guys, gals, y'all stand up. Uh, they made this trek to the capital from America's, which is about 140 miles south, and they're still sleepy 'cause they got up early. But, uh, they're the best of the best from our community, and with them, our future is definitely secure in southwest Georgia. So, uh, please join me in welcoming my group. [0:15:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=928s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [0:15:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=935s) I couldn't help but notice there was a lot of lady leaders and very few men leaders, so you know, it's the old saying, "Who runs the world? Girls," um, since it's creative arts and entertainment. We will go ahead and, uh, hand it over to Miss Lee Thomas, who's been a champion of film in our state for quite a long time. She's a wealth of knowledge, and she is about to educate not only the committee members, but the members in the, uh, in the audience as well, and online, if you're watching online. I feel like a pastor. [0:16:04](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=964s) Thank you, Chairman Carpenter and members of the committee. I appreciate the time today. Um, we're excited to have this opportunity to celebrate Camera Ready program, the designees that are here throughout the state that make it possible for our office to do our jobs quicker and better. Before we hear from a few of these people, I want to take a couple of minutes and talk about where we are today with the film industry. As you probably know, Georgia's faced a significant down- uh, slowdown in film production over the past couple of years, with the direct spend dropping to 2.3 billion from 20- for FY'25 this past year, from 4.4 billion at its height in 2022. [0:16:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1003s) The production boom we experienced in 22, '22 coincided with studios and streaming companies spending record amounts on content to increase their subscriber bases. That momentum was cut short by, in 2023, by the writers' strike and the actors' strikes, which overlapped and caused a work stoppage on almost all of our projects except for reality television between May and, and November of 2023. In 2024, there were contract negotiations and more potential union strikes, and although no union stoppages actually happened, in order to avil- avoid the possibility of them, many production companies shifted work overseas, where costs are significantly lower and productions are non-union. [0:17:30](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1050s) There has been an overall and significant production downturn since the highest production levels in 2022, and there have been mergers and acquisitions reducing the number of platforms needing content. While these problems are not unique to Georgia, we have had added, uh, challenge of union issues here in Georgia. Recent concessions have m- have been helpful, but we are competing with other markets that do not have these challenges. However, since 2008, Georgia has had one of the most reliable and competitive film tax programs worldwide. [0:18:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1082s) We are tried and true, and production companies know what to expect here. Creation of the Georgia Film Academy in 2015 is evidence of the state's continued c- commitment to this industry. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into infrastructure in Georgia, and thousands of trained Georgia crew members are ready to work. Georgia continues to c- increase its competitiveness. Our partners at the Georgia Department of Revenue have done a great job of streamlining their audit process, returning more money to productions in a shorter amount of time. House Bill 475, which went into effect in January, allows us to be more flexible in responding to evolving media types, like verticals, without having to come back to y'all every time a new kind of platform arises. [0:18:46](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1126s) And finally, we are busier now than we have been in some time. 2026 is much better than 2025 was. Here are a few of our notable projects. Uh, Comeback Kings starring Glenn Powell, which is planning on shooting in Savannah and Macon. We have a couple of scripted pilots, Rockford Files, which I think is just getting ready to wrap up, and Puzzled, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, so we're back in the DC world, Gambino with Nicholas Cage, a live act- action Scooby-Doo series for Netflix, um, another Netflix series, All the Sinners Bleed. [0:19:20](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1160s) The soap opera, Beyond the Gates, is, um, in their second season for CBS. We have a Paramount Picture feature, The Rescue, indie features, Speed the Plow and The Heretics, and several TV sh- series, including Tulsa King, Wheel Trip Season 4, an untitled HBCU project for T- Netflix, and Tyler Perry, Sisters. That has really become our sweet spot, is this episodic. We have the infrastructure for it. Um, you know, a lot of them are already here. They've established the location, and so that really has become our sweet spot and has kept us going, and we're getting new pilots. [0:19:59](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1199s) Fantastic. Uh, that's good news to hear. Uh, I echo your concern on the union piece. Um, it's been a challenge. Um, I almost... And I haven't seen the numbers, but it'd be interesting to see if we're paying the same price, uh, for labor in Georgia that they're paying in the Northeast. And if we are paying the same, I would hope that we could get our union folks to negotiate down, knowing that the cost of living, obviously, in New York and New Jersey is much, much higher. 'Cause we know labor off the table, Georgia is very competitive in our cost, uh, and our, and our tax credits [0:20:34](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1234s) ... been pretty stable. So, um, I think that conversation, love to see that conversation going forward, um, because I think at the end of the day, it's hurting our, um, our workers below the line so much that they c- that, that, that... I hope we can get them to the table to have those conversations. [0:20:51](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1251s) Yes. [0:20:52](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1252s) So thank you for that. And I agree the, uh, episodics is a, is a great niche for us. Stranger Things kids, raise your hand if you love some Stranger Things. Whoa, no? Nothing? Okay. All right, tough crowd tonight. Well, thank you. Does anyone have any questions? All right. [0:21:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1269s) I- [0:21:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1269s) We got a little question here. [0:21:12](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1272s) Mr. Thomas, thank you for being here. [0:21:14](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1274s) Yes, sir. [0:21:14](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1274s) So has the industry talked about what's gonna happen when we do away with the income tax? 100%... Give 100% income tax credit. [0:21:22](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1282s) No. I mean, yes, sir, I think those c- those conversations are definitely happening. That's a big concern. [0:21:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1288s) Yeah. I would, I would have those conversations- [0:21:32](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1292s) Yes [0:21:32](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1292s) ... 'cause I think that's coming. So I, I really don't wanna see these production studios empty one day. [0:21:39](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1299s) No, sir. [0:21:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1300s) Uh, I think that conversation needs to happen sooner than later. And then what... Can you talk a little bit about what we're doing with the music industry? [0:21:49](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1309s) Well, I think Pat has been talking about that in other committees. Most of the music industry, um, is being handled by our tourism department. At one point, twice we've had music, um, offices within our office. [0:22:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1322s) Mm-hmm. [0:22:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1322s) We were film, music, and digital entertainment at one time. Um, music moved over to tourism- [0:22:07](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1327s) Okay [0:22:07](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1327s) ... and digital entertainment moved under s- s- uh, centers of innovation. And so we're a standalone film office. But yes, um, certainly music counts, mu- uh, music videos count for, um, you know, the film tax credit, composers for the film tax credit. There are music projects that do count for the film tax credit, but not standalone. We had a music bill that was in place for several years, but no one was able to take advantage of that. [0:22:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1355s) Okay. [0:22:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1355s) And we did oversee that bill. [0:22:36](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1356s) 'Cause I know we have a bill on the floor of the House that, uh, would create a office of music for the State of Georgia similar to what Texas and- [0:22:45](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1365s) Mm-hmm [0:22:45](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1365s) ... North Carolina and Louisiana have. And I, I just think with all the talent we have in Georgia, I, uh, I'm just wondering why... Your thoughts on maybe why that's not moving, why that's not a popular thing to... [0:22:59](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1379s) I, I really can't speak to that. All I can tell you is we had it, we had it twi- we had it twice in our office, and then it lost its funding both times. [0:23:07](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1387s) Okay. [0:23:07](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1387s) But then the, the second time, Lisa Love, who was h- the head of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, she moved into our office to run the music office, and then she moved over to tourism and took her knowledge, uh, t- with music tourism there. [0:23:21](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1401s) Okay. So it's moved into a different department. [0:23:24](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1404s) Yes, sir. [0:23:24](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1404s) Okay. All right. Thank you. [0:23:26](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1406s) Number five. [0:23:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1408s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Lee, it's great to see you. [0:23:31](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1411s) Great to see you as well, sir. [0:23:32](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1412s) Um, I wanna piggyback on that. Uh, we did House Bill 303, the, the Savannah Music Commission. [0:23:37](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1417s) Mm-hmm. [0:23:38](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1418s) Um, out of the millions of dollars that, uh, that Georgia has, uh, e- elevated off the music, and now, uh, this year, tourism is the forte. And so I know we have a lot of tourism dollars that are gonna be, uh, moving forward, but music plays a big role. And so if... We, we pro- we really need to do something to, to focus on the music component. I know, uh, years ago when I met with the Consul General of Canada, she talked about the post-production in Canada- [0:24:06](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1446s) Mm-hmm [0:24:06](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1446s) ... was tremendous. [0:24:07](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1447s) Yeah. [0:24:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1448s) And so music is a big forte of that. Um, so what can we do? You said that the person that used to be in the, in the, in the office kinda took her expertise, but we got a lot of experts all over Georgia. Um, I would like to see how we can move that forward. [0:24:24](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1464s) Yes, sir. [0:24:26](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1466s) Awesome. [0:24:26](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1466s) That's... Yep. [0:24:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1468s) Awesome. Thank you so much. Uh, I think, I think that's all the questions. I would love for, uh, Miss Pam to come up. Uh- [0:24:37](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1477s) I was gonna- [0:24:38](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1478s) Oh, go ahead [0:24:38](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1478s) ... chat just a little bit on the meeting. [0:24:39](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1479s) Oh. [0:24:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1480s) I'm sorry. [0:24:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1480s) Well, you go right ahead. I'm sorry. [0:24:42](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1482s) Thank you, sir. Um, so now we're gonna move on to the camera-ready communities. The camera-ready program was c- created to establish film-friendly counties throughout the state, with the first 16 Georgia counties earn- earning camera-ready status in 2010. By 2014, all 159 counties were certified. The great thing about Georgia is Georgia can stand in for almost anywhere. Whether a project requires futuristic skylines or beaches, farmland or swamps, gritty urban streets, Georgia can provide it. [0:25:14](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1514s) When I started the film office, and this goes way back, right? This is 30 years ago, and we had 35 millimeter cameras, and we had big fold-out county maps. And I think they gave us, you know, a, a bag of quarters, but I'm afraid it might have even been dimes back then, to go to payphones. And we would scout the state, and everything was very slow back then. You know, we had sometimes years to scout for a project. But we could go off, and there was n- you know, there was no way for them to find us. [0:25:45](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1545s) It was glorious. So now everything is faster, right? It's, it's, everything is digital. We get the scripts emailed to us. They wanna see, uh, film locations right away. And so with all of the counties and with our limited staff, there is no way we could know about all of the places in the counties, um, and be able to respond efficiently. And so that is why this camera-ready program is integral to what we do all the time. Um, they're, you know, part of our office. [0:26:17](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1577s) We're an extension of our office and the work that we do, and we couldn't do it without them. So we finally are celebrating them today. And with that, I will kick off to Pam Thompson. Um, I am a resident of Rabun County, and she represents Rabun County. [0:26:32](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1592s) So where is she? [0:26:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1593s) Uh, just, you can slide over there where Miss Lee was. That'd be great. [0:26:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1600s) Who has the video so we know? [0:26:45](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1605s) Anyone? Okay. If you have the video, it's... You probably need to sit over there, Thompson. [0:26:53](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1613s) Not me. [0:26:55](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1615s) Thank you so much for being here, Ms. Pam. If you wanna go right ahead. [0:26:58](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1618s) Thank you. Um, good morning Chairman Carpenter and members of the committee. My name is Pam Thompson. I represent Rabun County up in the Northeast Georgia Mountains, where it all began with a young Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox in a movie called Deliverance. So Rabun County is 75% national forest and Georgia Power owned, so consequently, the rivers, lakes, and mountains brought Deliverance to us in 1972. [0:27:30](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1650s) With Deliverance came a group of stuntmen who, to Rabun County after Deliverance completed filming, and those men started a white water rafting company, and the floodgates literally opened. Tourists from all over the world have been visiting our county ever since. Um, since the Camera Ready program was established, we've had... We've been very fortunate to work with many projects. Among those, Trouble With the Curve with Clint Eastwood, Hillbilly Elegy with Ron Howard, Killing Season with John Travolta and Robert De Niro, Lawless with Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf, Doggone with Rob Lowe, just to name a few. [0:28:12](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1692s) Um, so with tourism being our number one industry throughout the years, I've kept some notes about how the film industry has affected the economic impact in our county. So I thought I would share some small tidbits of those notes. Here we go. Killing Season bought 91 rooms with 519 room nights. John Travolta bought a new Shelby Mustang from our local car dealership. Additionally, he visited different restaurants each night during his time with us, and signing photographs and interacting with the locals. [0:28:46](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1726s) So by the third night, every restaurant wa- in town was jam-packed, and our little town was on fire with excitement. Everyone hoping for a glimpse of John Travolta. With Standing Up, with Standing Up and Nick Nolte being, uh, being filmed in Rabun County in its entirety, I, I took notes of all the things that took place in one day. So here's, here's the list. They paid two churches for sta- staging, three property owners for locations, rented tents, tables, chairs, paid a seamstress, caterers, shopped at a local thrift store, paid for gravel, paid a local construction company to have heavy equipment on standby, rented office space, vacant s- feed store. [0:29:30](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1770s) Apparently, it rained a lot, because the tow... a tow truck was paid to be on standby. And 90 rooms at 41 nights. One of my favorites, and the last, was Christmas on the Range with Lindsay Wagner and A. Martinez, and they requested a herd of cattle that would be filmed stampeding, along with horses and riders coming to the rescue. Um, this small list is barely the tip of the iceberg, but it is the reason Rabun County does our best to welcome the film industry with open arms, and I'm happy to report that yesterday I spent a lot of my day researching and locating property owners for a project at the end of March, and I was pleased to say, welcome back, Georgia film industry, to Rabun County. [0:30:14](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1814s) It's been a minute. Um, thank you Chairman Carpenter and members of the committee for allowing us to share our experience with the Camera Ready program. Thank you. [0:30:25](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1825s) Thank you so much. I'm glad to hear that, that, um, these projects, as obviously somebody that's not from the metro, I'm glad to hear that these projects continue to start disseminate across the state, so thank you. [0:30:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1835s) We appreciate it very much. [0:30:38](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1838s) Absolutely. I think there's n- no questions. Ms. Molly? Good golly, Ms. Molly, come on up. [0:30:48](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1848s) Never heard that before. [0:30:50](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1850s) Hey, hey. Tough crowd. [0:30:54](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1854s) Good morning. Um, it's funny, I get that a lot, good golly, Ms. Molly, and just last year, uh, Little Richard's band, um, came to film a documentary in our community, uh, partly in our community, celebrating his impact on their lives and the, what being able to be an artist in our state and a musician in our state, dancers, and the support team for our, in our state, what it meant to their lives just growing up and being trained and brought up by Little Richard. So that, I literally had them sing that to me at a restaurant. [0:31:27](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1887s) They greeted me with that welcome. So, um, but mostly thank you so much for, for inviting us to be here and for hearing us today. Um, I, I, I am the Camera Ready liaison for Cherokee County, um, and we have been a part of the Camera Ready Community Program since 2011. We very quickly signed on. That was before my time with our office. Um, but our leadership saw quickly how important it was to build those relationships, and that is what we have continued to do, to make sure that we build relationships, keep those strong, and keep our film teams coming back. [0:32:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1928s) But what we found is building those relationships in our community as well gives both the film team opportunities and gives our community opportunities we wouldn't have had otherwise. So being the conduit for that and having opportunities to say we can continue to bring film here with its tax incentive for them, um, is phenomenally, um, successful and also, also promising to our businesses and our creative community. Um, we take a comprehensive look at economic development in our office, and so we have done so with film as well, looking at different ways that our, our community can benefit from it and, and the industry benefit from us. [0:32:52](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=1972s) We work to, um, of course, welcome these productions into our community through the Camera Ready Liaison program, helping them find locations. Um, we've had over three hundred projects filmed in our community. Those are everything from Marvel to independent projects, music videos, uh, student film projects. We host them all and try to find ways and relationships in our community to host even those who have very limited budget because we know those folks need a start in order to make something that does yield a bumper crop for all. [0:33:25](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2005s) So we really champion those student projects. We work with our businesses to make sure they have opportunity c-to connect to the industry as well. In two thousand twenty-one, oh man, if you remember, right after the holidays, things were very quiet, um, as we had just come through one of the, the, the, the largest peaks in COVID over the holiday season. People were not going into businesses. They were not going into restaurants. But Hawkeye, Disney/Marvel's production of Hawkeye, came to film in downtown Canton, Georgia. [0:33:59](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2039s) Um, they were there for about six months renovating the interior of a building, a historic building, reinforcing floors, employing, uh, project teams from all over our community and, and around Georgia to come in and reinforce those things because if you know Marvel, they're going to have a lot of stunt gear, and those floors have to be really strong to sustain that. Their investment of time and-- far expanded in our community. [0:34:29](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2069s) One, one such story is with Bazaar Coffee, a new coffee, uh, roastery and coffee shop that had just opened, and they were opening in one of the hardest times economically to do so. When the team positioned just around the corner from them for all that time, they quickly had dozens and dozens of coffee orders and had to figure out how to increase their production and their supply and work through their systems very, very rapidly. It improved their business, and they now have, I think, four locations, Heath? [0:35:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2102s) Four. [0:35:03](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2103s) Um, and continuing to grow beyond that. So it im-improved their processes very quickly. We also work with local filmmakers to connect them to one another so they can improve their projects. We work with students, bringing them in for a Cherokee Student Film Summit annually. Because of the promise of the film cr- tax credit and the industry that our state has championed, these students have grown up seeing this now and expect and desire to be a part of this. [0:35:34](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2134s) They have grown up knowing that they live in a creative community and a state that champions creatives, and so we want to connect them to the industry. This year, we held our seventh annual Student Film Summit. A hundred and twenty-plus students attended with their teachers, and we had, um, eight, uh, fourteen instructors from across Georgia's film production industry, including the art department from Stranger Things, come and talk to our students, and that was right after that finale had dropped over New Year's. So these kids in January were really excited to hear from them, as you can imagine. [0:36:07](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2167s) It was a little different, every hand in the room when that-- when you said, "Anybody watch Stranger Things?" And they're like, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe they're here." It was an exciting day. But these students are looking to connect to the industry. They desire jobs. [0:36:22](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2182s) We also partner with our colleges and regional, um, training programs, including the Georgia Film Academy, to make sure that our students are getting the training they need. [0:36:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2195s) One other flagship effort we have is the Metro Atlanta Film Summit coming up actually two days from now in our community. We would love for all of you to attend, by the way. Um, but what we have discovered as we are planning this summit is people continue to say, "I am so grateful for a place to connect and for us to talk about what our next projects are and how we're going to do this together." We're looking forward to straight talk, real talk coming from Lee Thomas and Craig Dominy to start our day, but also some inspiration and, and connection to make real relationships that, that forge our future together. [0:37:16](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2236s) But the thing about bringing these film productions into our industry, back to being a camera-ready liaison, is that we have seen incredible transformation of our downtowns and, and our communities. Those businesses are blossoming, like Bazaar Coffee, as I mentioned. But also, if you look back about ten years ago, a film called, at the time it was called Mina, but it became, of course, American Made with Tom Cruise. It spent about six weeks filming in Ball Ground, Georgia. [0:37:46](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2266s) That time, um, Ball Ground was a pretty sleepy little town, if you'd been through there. There were just a handful of businesses that were still in business. That really was the catalyst to jumpstart their economy after American Made came. People really wanted to be in the downtown and were looking at, oh, just let's, let's establish our business here, and let's bring in more people to see where American Made was filmed. So that pride in place is a significant and sometimes hard to calculate factor, but it does bring people to our community. [0:38:23](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2303s) And we know that, and, and people kept asking what our favorite and, like, fan favorite film locations were. We've hosted Ozark. The Blue Cat Lodge is in our community on Lake, uh, Allatoona. Hidden Figures filmed at a historic building in our downtown area. I mentioned Hawkeye from, um, the Marvel universe filming in our downtown Canton as well. A lot of faith-based films and projects have filmed in our c- our, all of our cities. Um, but that one production in Ball Ground, the known spend that people were willing to s- provide was over four hundred thousand dollars ten years ago. [0:39:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2342s) So that, um, tremendous im- just investment in that community that helped them kickstart some of those things, and then for them to turn around and double down and provide an incredible community with parks and beautiful amenities for people to live there. That, that place has blossomed. It's a beautiful place to live. Um, we know that people want to come and see those places as fan-favorite film locations. And so during the pandemic, we decided it would be a great idea to create a Filmed in Cherokee mobile app. [0:39:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2375s) It's free, f- uh, for download on Google, uh, the Google ... the Apple App Store and Google Play. Um, but it gives you a behind-the-scenes look at some of the locations where things were filmed, some, some places for people to, uh, pop into and learn some of the funny, um, anecdotes, uh, that happened while they were filming as well. But mostly, we want people to know where these things happened, we want them to go and feel the experience of being there, and we want them to spend money in our restaurants and our stores and stay in our hotels. [0:40:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2409s) Just, just in November, one of the most significant places that money is spent in our community is certainly with the Cherokee Adult Detention Center. We have a portion of our jail that is old and no longer in use except by the in- film industry. Um, they hosted a month-long production in late 2025, yielding significant economic impact. 196,000 was paid to sheriff's deputies for extra duty se- security. 8,700 paid to maintenance workers there. [0:40:41](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2441s) 793 hotel stays in Woodstock, totaling an estimated 84,000. And eight, uh, 492 hotel stays in Canton, totaling 400 and s- uh, sorry, 40,000-plus. Around 30,000 spent with local restoration contractors, and 25 grand in lo- location fees to Cherokee County for use of the facility, estimating $385,009.26. Estimated. 26 cents. Anyway, a significant impact. [0:41:13](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2473s) That's one production alone. Just Monday, we had filming for one day with two days of prep and two days of wrap on either side of it, spending $19,000 to pay our extra duty deputies for their service at the jail. That's one production. Over the last three years, not including that 19,000, 348,000 was spent at the Cherokee Adult Detention Center and employing extra duty deputies for filming projects in our community. That's just three years. The impact is real, and that's directly to those deputies, directly into their pockets for their families, doing work that's not as dangerous as they often do. [0:41:53](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2513s) So I thank you for your time. I thank you for your continued support of this and, and for letting us share with you today. [0:41:59](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2519s) You've, you do have a few questions- [0:42:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2521s) Yes, sir [0:42:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2521s) ... but I just wanna take the time to say, uh, you're doing, that's amazing, uh, cutting edge stuff, talking about the app, talking about the, the holistic, uh, acceptance of the industry, and making sure you're squeezing every bit of juice out of the, out of the fruit. So I, I, I appreciate your stance. I do have a quick question. Your funding- [0:42:20](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2540s) Yes, sir [0:42:20](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2540s) ... is it funded through the city and county, or is it a hot- uh, are you doing it through the CVB? Or how, how does your department, how is it structured? [0:42:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2548s) Well, we are ... [0:42:31](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2551s) Sorry, I don't mean to get into your local politics. [0:42:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2553s) No, no, no. [0:42:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2553s) I just- [0:42:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2553s) No, no, no [0:42:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2553s) ... I, I'd really be, I'm gonna- [0:42:34](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2554s) We're quasi-governmental is the, is the answer to that. [0:42:37](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2557s) We represent two different development authorities in a public-private partnership. Programming comes through the public-private partnership. [0:42:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2563s) Okay. [0:42:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2563s) By choice. [0:42:44](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2564s) I got you. So it's not, but, but so, but do, do they issue, do they use the funds from hotel-motel taxes and stuff like that? Good. [0:42:50](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2570s) Yes. [0:42:50](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2570s) That's a good use of it, so. [0:42:52](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2572s) Mm-hmm. [0:42:53](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2573s) Uh, sound, you, sounds like you're getting really good, great bang for your buck, so thank you for doing what you do. I'm gonna go to, um, mic number 10. [0:43:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2581s) Thank you. [0:43:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2581s) I don't know why that's flashing. He waits. Changed his mind. Mic seven. [0:43:07](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2587s) Uh, uh, thank you. Thank you for being here- [0:43:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2589s) Yes, sir [0:43:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2589s) ... um, providing testimony. And it, it seems as though, you know, and, and hopefully, uh, we're, with our industry, we're, we're, we're kind of at the floor, not the ceiling of it, right? [0:43:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2599s) Mm-hmm. [0:43:20](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2600s) And so my question to you is, and for your community, and then I, I, uh, live in Fayetteville, so we certainly, you know, have, have a few things going on there as well. [0:43:29](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2609s) Yeah. [0:43:29](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2609s) Um, under, what is your assessment from your local community perspective of, uh, where the industry is now and kind of the, the level it is, even at that level with the credit that we have in place, is, is your community benefiting from that? [0:43:47](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2627s) I believe yes. We have, um, local filmmakers who, uh, creating independent projects who rely on the tax incentive. I mean, they are able to, they are learning how to navigate the process. And, and with Lee and her office, Lee DaBattle is phenomenally, um, accessible to these filmmakers to help them walk through the process, um, and to note, to identify what i- is eligible for Georgia Spend. What can they include in that to, to, to benefit from it? [0:44:18](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2658s) But it makes a tremendous difference for them because their budgets, while not large, um, uh, uh, they're not as large as a Marvel production- [0:44:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2668s) Mm [0:44:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2668s) ... right? But some of them are in the 4 million, 7 million, 11 million. And so this is an, a significant help to them, but it also helps them create the next thing. Once they have that investment, once they have, um, o- once they can w- if they can say, "I'm going to be eligible for this tax incentive," they're able to get investors for their projects and create them. And once they create them, they can get more investors in the future for the next projects, so. [0:44:56](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2696s) And, and do you have any idea within your community, um, out of all the various tax credits that are available, w- everything from film to timber to, uh, historic preservation, that type of thing, for your community, whi- which of those credits do you think is, is most valuable? [0:45:14](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2714s) I don't know that I'm qualified to answer that. I'm sorry. [0:45:17](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2717s) Please try again. [0:45:18](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2718s) I, I can answer it for you. [0:45:20](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2720s) Yes, sir. [0:45:20](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2720s) From me. [0:45:21](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2721s) From hearing your conversation today, I would have to say the film credit is actually- [0:45:25](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2725s) Okay [0:45:25](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2725s) ... the one that works the best. I don't know if you got a lot of timber farms in, in, in- ... Cherokee County. [0:45:29](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2729s) He could probably answer. [0:45:30](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2730s) You might, you might have some, but, uh, I would have to say the film, film tax credit's probably most beneficial to, to your world. I think he was setting you up. I think he was setting you up for- [0:45:41](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2741s) Yeah [0:45:41](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2741s) ... a softball. [0:45:41](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2741s) And just, and just one- [0:45:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2743s) Wow [0:45:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2743s) ... one last- [0:45:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2743s) Sorry. [0:45:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2743s) No, that's okay. And one last- [0:45:44](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2744s) I would love to say film. I just don't wanna lie. I wanna be very honest. [0:45:47](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2747s) That's all right. Well- [0:45:48](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2748s) And you're not lying if you believe it, right? [0:45:49](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2749s) Yeah. [0:45:49](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2749s) Isn't that true? [0:45:50](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2750s) That's true. [0:45:51](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2751s) I, I think it's an important question because what is, what is under consideration is eliminating every credit. [0:45:58](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2758s) I see. [0:45:59](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2759s) Right. [0:45:59](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2759s) Yes. [0:46:00](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2760s) And so, um, you know, what- [0:46:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2762s) Mm-hmm [0:46:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2762s) ... what is, I think what we need to hear is from local communities and what is the impact- [0:46:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2768s) Mm-hmm [0:46:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2768s) ... uh, to that local community based on that decision that we make. Um, one, one last thing is just a, just an encouragement, uh, to, to your community. Something that, that our local development authority did was to, to look specifically at the film industry. And just as we do at the state level with the economic impact, we kind of pared that down to our, our local community to, to show kinda what, what I would consider the, the second and third order effects of having, uh, an entertainment industry in your community. That it's, it's not just about the money spent that we, uh, track statewide, but it's about the coffee shop, it's about the- [0:46:45](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2805s) Yes, it is [0:46:45](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2805s) ... the local rental car place. [0:46:47](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2807s) Yes. [0:46:47](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2807s) It's about the caterers. It's about- [0:46:48](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2808s) Mm-hmm [0:46:49](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2809s) ... the, the realtors that benefit. It's all of those things that, that are often not captured in, in the state numbers that it's important for us to ex- to show at the local level the impact of these industries. So- [0:47:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2821s) I agree [0:47:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2821s) ... thank you for what you do. Appreciate you being here. [0:47:03](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2823s) Certainly. And I, I would like to say for the record, when I said I don't wanna lie, I just meant I don't want to over speak. [0:47:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2829s) Yeah. [0:47:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2829s) I can't, I can't speak to the, the le- the other benefits you mentioned, but I can absolutely attest to the fact that it is, uh, beneficial for our film community to have those. [0:47:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2839s) Absolutely. [0:47:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2839s) Thank you. [0:47:20](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2840s) Thank you so much. [0:47:21](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2841s) Yes, sir. [0:47:21](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2841s) Appreciate you being here. We're gonna move on to Mr. Walker Dalton. Not from Dalton. Not from Dalton. From Savannah, Montana. Montana. Glad to have you here today. Kids, are y'all still with us? You falling asleep back there? All right, let's perk everybody up. All right, we gotta move. So look, guys, just, just a real quick, you know, time is getting tight. There's a lot of... We still got a lot of folks to, uh, to, um, to speak, so if we're gonna hold questions till the very end, uh, just so we can get through this, 'cause I know a lot of people traveled a long way to talk about this important issue. [0:47:53](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2873s) Yeah. I won't ramble on too much, everybody, but, um, for those of you who did not raise your hand for Stranger Things, I promise you that those kids are watching something made in Georgia no matter what. So that is, that is an absolute given. So here representing Savannah and Chatham County and 60 miles outside of the film office. So I, I'm the executive director of Film Savannah, the Savannah Regional Film Commission. Obviously, I have a huge investment in how this state operates from a film standpoint. We're very impassioned by this. Savannah has been very successful because Metro Atlanta has been successful, so if the state is successful, we're successful. [0:48:25](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2905s) So for us to support all the programs here in the state is really important for us. It's important for our locals. The Camera Ready program, I'm here from Los Angeles. I'm born and raised in LA, I've been in Savannah for about nine years, and no community has welcomed me more than the film industry here. So when I came here and moved here, knowing that the Camera Ready program was part of the vernacular of how producers talk, like who is the Camera Ready person in this county, was indicative of how important this program is. [0:48:56](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2936s) So Laurie Poole, where are you? Right there. So we have several people from the southeast, like, you know, she will call me, we talk to each other. This is a community, and it protects itself. So without having those, that infrastructure here to call and ask a question or to protect ourselves from, like, who is this person trying to film a movie in my county? Those are really vital things for this, for this industry. When we talk about the film tax credit, Savannah has its own local rebate on top of that, so we have a 10% on top of it. [0:49:26](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2966s) That's how important we feel this industry is for the Southeast. So without this barrier of en- this, this entry point as it being a bottleline, bottom line business, the tax credit is really important. Our rebate is really important for us. Now, you know what's right number two? Is the people. So without the skilled labor, without the locations, without the infrastructure, without the ability to me to pick up my phone and take a director and say, "You know what? D- Is there, like, a farmland that we can take a look at really quick?" Boom. I can call that person right away, and that person's like, "Please come to my front door. [0:49:59](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=2999s) I'd love to show that person my property." Like, that is a vital, vital part of this industry, to be able to communicate. Because it's... I'll be honest with you, it's kinda lazy. It doesn't wanna work that hard. So the easier that we can make it for them from the work that Lee and her office does and the DOR to making the, the process more refined, more, more streamlined, from the team in my office being able to be super responsive to a phone call, to the Camera Ready people being aware that it's all about answering the phone. And these people answer the phone. [0:50:29](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3029s) We answer the phone. And that is what a producer loves. They don't wanna leave a voicemail. They don't wanna send an unanswered text. They want somebody to reply right away. So that's what this industry does. That's what the state does. It's like a, I always think of it as a, as the biggest little town that you can come make your movie in. So anyways, I just, I just applaud these people in this room. I applaud the efforts being made by this industry. Lee's office is just a champion for this. We talk to each other regularly, and that's really the most important thing. I know we're short on time, but I just can only advocate for how much that this industry does for our region. [0:51:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3061s) Um, you know, the last two years was not great, as we've already stated, but this year beginning we've had Road House 2 shoot in our area. We had Telstar King come out. Yeah kicked some ass. It was great. You know, it was awesome. Um, uh, Judd Apatow is down in Savannah right now. By the way, thanks to the, to the film aspect. When he was coming down, this is a music, this is a music project. So for me to be able to call, uh, people who are part of the music scene in Savannah and say, "Hey, where are good music venues that I don't know about?" Those people answered me right away, and we were able to take Judd within 24 hours and go boom, boom, boom, zip around the town. [0:51:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3095s) I don't know if you guys have been to Savannah, like, the, the notion of traffic is kinda hilarious. So we were able to bounce around and show them everything they needed to see. So the music aspect, the camera ready aspect, the labor aspect, and the incentive all worked together, and I could not be more proud of, like, what the state has done. [0:51:52](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3112s) Awesome. Thank you so much. We're gonna, uh, we're gonna catch those at the end if that's okay. [0:51:58](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3118s) Yeah. [0:51:58](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3118s) Uh, Ms. Jackson from DeKalb. And as she's working her way up, that was not scripted for my phone to ring right when he said phone ringing. [0:52:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3128s) Oh. [0:52:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3128s) And a big fan of Road House, especially Road House 1, so Road House 2 can only be better, right? Things improve in the second edition. [0:52:15](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3135s) All the stuff. [0:52:15](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3135s) There you go. [0:52:17](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3137s) Oh, good m- [0:52:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3139s) Appreciate it. [0:52:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3139s) Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Committee, for allowing us to come here and speak to you today. I'm Shelbia Jackson. I am the director of DeKalb County's Entertainment Commission. We are housed within our development authority, which is called Decide DeKalb Development Authority. A little bit on DeKalb County, we are the fourth-largest county in Georgia. We, uh, sit right next to Fulton County. My counterpart is here, Ms. Cordelia Hunter. Thank you for being here too. Um, so a little bit about the history of the entertainment, um, industry in DeKalb. [0:52:53](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3173s) It was not one of our target industries, um, 20 years ago. Uh, it became our target industry, um, because we had to have a response to this industry. That tax credit caused us to have a response. Early on in 2010, 2013, we were managing the amount of production that was coming to DeKalb County just based on emails. We were having to coordinate between different departments to allow them to film in our county. It, um, we needed to have a comprehensive process, so having the Camera Ready program, having Lee Thomas and her team, having them as an, an example of what we could follow for our county allowed us to try to build out what our county now is, uh, in relation to this industry. [0:53:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3220s) It is now one of our target industries, along with manufacturing, healthcare, technology, logistics, and, uh, commercial distribution. Um, we have created a comprehensive ecosystem in DeKalb County to support this industry. Um, I rely on many of the people in this room who helped us create our film, um, entertainment, um, office, uh, our entertainment commission that we created with an advisory as- We have an advisory group of different organizations, the unions, SAG-AFTRA on there. [0:54:17](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3257s) We really invested heavily in this industry. My office is funded by the county, uh, in order to do what we do. Um, we work with our school system. We work with our technical school system. We work with all of our colleges and universities. Um, we wanted a full, full-fledged program to support the creatives that live in DeKalb. And what we've discovered over the years, there are thousands of them. They're members of unions. They're SAG-AFTRA members. They, um, are taxpayers in our county, and so we're responsible for how we address their concerns. [0:54:53](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3293s) Um, one of the things I wanted to touch on, uh, was the impact. I know y- you asked about the impact. We did a study like that based on the first five years of the film industry coming to DeKalb. We did an ARC impact study. It was nearly $2 billion of impact in DeKalb County just during those first five years, and that's, that's including 2020. So we know that has grown exponentially. We have 13 cities. All of us are on a, a program similar to the Camera Ready program. [0:55:27](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3327s) Um, all of the c- We use a digital platform now to monitor and track all the film activity in our county. It is a very, very good program. They built it out just for us. Uh, it was modeled on the Atlanta, uh, platform as well. Um, so we're able to work with each of our cities. We have a designated person just like the state in each of our cities who does film. We work with their economic development departments, their planning departments, our county planning departments. [0:55:58](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3358s) We work with Georgia Power, MARTA, Ga- Atlanta Gas. We have a whole system of people that we reach out to whenever there's a film project in DeKalb County. We include our police, our fire on every single application. They get a copy of that application. We work with them to determine what they need in order to do an evaluation of that project. It, it... I had to allow them to understand how this industry works. [0:56:29](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3389s) I had to educate our county departments and our city departments on how this industry works. A- and again, I relied on a lot of people in this room to help me with that because I'm not in this industry. I'm in economic development. I've been there for over 20 years, so I understand our rules and regulations, but I needed to translate that into something that they understand so that we can address the concerns of this industry and support them correctly. So basically, each county department had to designate someone to do filming because it became a, a staff necess- necessity. [0:57:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3428s) Um, the fire department designated a team to work on film projects because the requirement is you cannot film in DeKalb County without a film permit, and it has to be reviewed by our fire department so we can make sure that you are doing it safely. So sometimes a fire marshal has to be on site. Sometimes a police officer has to be on site in order to make sure you are doing the work that keeps our public safe. [0:57:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3460s) So that being said, it, it is a huge impact on our county. Bringing the tax credit or changing the tax credit in any way will have a heavy... a, a negative impact on our county in terms of this industry. Um, the other part I wanted to mention to you guys was, um, music and digital entertainment. Our office is, is focused on those three verticals: film, music, and digital entertainment. So we do programming and, um, uh, initiatives focused on supporting the music industry. [0:58:13](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3493s) We just did a music field trip with our school students because we learned that the CTAE program now has a music pathway. And so we have one school, one high school in DeKalb County that has a, has a teacher under that pathway now, and it's just started, so this is the first one. So we took them on a field trip to Patchwork Studios, which happens to be in Atlanta, and, and it was immensely enjoyable for them. Um, the industry, the music industry is very welcoming to these students in teaching them how the music industry works, and these kids wanna be in music. [0:58:48](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3528s) Um, digital side, um, our chair of the Entertainment Commission is Andrew Greenberg, and he is the president of the Georgia Game Developers Association. So him and, and a group of others were instrumental in creating that digital tax credit. And so we get advice from him on how we can support digital entertainment. He connected us with so many different conferences that have been coming here for years, we just didn't know. DreamHack and MomoCon and all these other conferences we wanna connect our kids to and connect other, other industry professionals to. [0:59:21](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3561s) So we're excited about where Georgia is headed in terms of these cr- credits, and we hope y'all don't change anything because we're investing a lot in this industry and we wanna continue that. Um, and we look forward to, um, supporting you guys in doing whatever needs to be done. And, um, I, I ju want- just wanna give kudos to Lee. I forgot which... Okay. Right there. Lee and her team have, have been so helpful to me over the years in our county. I can pull them in to talk to any board of commissioner or our CEO, uh, in order to leverage her knowledge and experience with this industry. [0:59:57](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3597s) So that's, that's a key thing for us in Georgia. So thank you, guys. [1:00:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3601s) Thank you. [1:00:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3601s) Great. [1:00:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3601s) We appreciate you being here very much. [1:00:03](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3603s) Thank you. [1:00:03](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3603s) Uh, Mr. Evans, if you'll slide on up. As you're walking up, we are going to have a video to show. We're gonna try to get that going in just a second after you present. And I think what I just grasped from what she was saying is, you know, government typically moves real, real slow. The film industry needs us to be quick and be nimble at a government level, and they're, I think they're realizing that. And so kudos to you guys. Go right ahead, my friend. [1:00:30](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3630s) Thank you very much. Thank you, uh, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to all the committee members, and welcome to all of our camera-ready family. My name is Darius Evans. I am the co-president of Georgia Production Partnership. We're an organization that was founded in 1995, originally as the Atlanta Production Partnership by a small group of people who had the, uh, the audacity to hope for a place that they could live, work, and play, uh, in the same place. [1:01:00](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3660s) So they went about the, the mission of creating an opportunity for the state to start this tax credit that we're talking about today. And now, 18 years after this, the passing of that tax credit, we are where we are now. Um, as an organization, we are committed to the people of this industry. We represent over 11,000 members of the Georgia entertainment community. [1:01:30](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3690s) They span from film and TV to music to gaming and digital entertainment. And so, uh, we just wanted to, uh, impress upon the committee and impress, impress upon the people here that, you know, it's, it's one thing to talk about the numbers. It's easy to talk about the numbers and the impact that this tax credit in the industry has made, um, on this, this state. Uh, but one thing that we can't forget is that it's made up of a community. [1:02:00](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3720s) It's the community of people, the community of business owners, the community even of, uh, legislators and the, the, uh, the local communities that make up this industry. It's the people that we represent, not only as GPP, but that you all represent as, uh, legislators here across the state. Uh, these people depend on this industry. They depend on the, the tax credit to make a living. They depend on the tax credit to, uh, support their families. [1:02:32](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3752s) And, uh, we wanna make sure that, uh, we remember the people that make up this industry. And as a part of that, next week GPP is sponsoring, uh, Georgia Film Week. Starting on, uh, Wednesday, uh, March 18th, we'll be right here, uh, back at the Capitol with the people that make up this community, uh, sponsored by Representative, uh, Long Tran. Uh, we will be here with the people honoring one of the pillars of our community, actually, uh, Mr. Craig Miller, who we lost late last year. [1:03:06](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3786s) Um, and, uh, he's being honored by both, uh, the House and the Senate, as well as the governor's office, as well as the secretary of state here at the Capitol on Wednesday morning. And, uh, it's a testament to the people that do make up this industry. It's not about the n- the number of productions that Craig was a part of, which I'm not even sure what it is. It's quite a few, but it's more about the, the number of lives that he impacted as a member of this community. One of the things that he remembered is that this is about the people. [1:03:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3820s) It's about helping people. He was often the first person that people would contact when they decided to come to do business in, in the state of Georgia, and he was able to point them in the right direction and, um, and sometimes even employ them. And so, uh, it's people like Craig that we're honoring. It's people like, uh, Tia Powell, who, uh, is the founder and the publisher of, um, uh, Oz magazine and the Georgia Source book. Uh, we'll be honoring her on Friday during our, uh, Trailblazers luncheon at Manuel's Tavern, where it all began. [1:04:18](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3858s) And so we want to make sure that the focus remains on the people that make up this industry and the people who are benefiting from the tax credit and, and make this, this industry grow. [1:04:31](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3871s) Awesome. Thank you so much. [1:04:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3873s) Thank you. [1:04:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3873s) You may have a question here in a minute, but we're gonna keep moving. [1:04:36](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3876s) Awesome. Thank you. [1:04:37](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3877s) Thank you so much. Um, Justin Campbell, if you'll come up, and while you're walking up, Gracie, I know you guys have a video to show. Now, I would-- If you wanna get ready to show it after, after he speaks, that'd be great. That way we can have it. Somebody just maybe sit at the computer and be ready to hit play. [1:05:01](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3901s) All right, you're live. [1:05:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3902s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the committee for... Oh, sorry. [1:05:06](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3906s) No, you're good. [1:05:06](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3906s) Good. For having me today. It's, uh, my honor to be here as a, in my capacity as the vice president of studio operations for Assembly Atlanta, Assembly Studios in Doraville, Georgia, uh, as a lifelong Georgian. For those who aren't familiar with the site, it is the former site of the General Motors plant. Gray Media came in in late '22 using Georgia workers, over a hundred twenty Georgia businesses for more than seventy different house districts, redeveloped this site into a world-class forty-three acre, nineteen stage, one million square foot, state-of-the-art film and studio campus. [1:05:40](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3940s) Um, and as a reminder, Gray received no state tax credits in the construction. This was all funded, self-funded through Gray. We then partnered with NBC Universal, not only as our long-term anchor tenant, but to serve as the exclusive provider of production services and our facility manager. To date, this is the largest such type of that investment in the state for a purpose-built facility, both in scale and duration. As someone who came up through this industry, it was a major coup and a major win and a model we hope that other studios can follow, given the great infrastructure we have in place to make these types of long-term investments in our state. [1:06:18](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=3978s) We also then partnered with Georgia Film Academy for a new campus. We opened that, I know a few of you were there, last August, right next to our campus. We're incredibly proud of that. We doubled down on that workforce development initiative to create a partnership with Autumn Bailey Ford and Ty Walker, two local independent homegrown Georgia content creators, with the idea that Assembly can service any production of any scale of any kind. So we've been busy in the last twenty-four months, it's fair to say. But in parallel to that, and I won't belabor the point, the, the really great points made by others here, the industry has seen a, a great deal of headwinds. [1:06:54](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4014s) You know, multiple factors have in- have increased challenges for stage owners and operators. We, broadly, we see studios and streamers are incredibly selective and cost-conscious in where they pick to, to film their location. And even in the last twenty-four months, looking domestically, you've seen states like California, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois all make adjustments to their film tax credit, raising their base incentive anywhere from forty to fifty percent. So de- labor costs are also an issue on top of that. [1:07:25](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4045s) But, you know, the line of scrimmage, so to speak, has changed a little bit, and it's a delta that's proving pretty difficult for stage operators to make up. [1:07:36](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4056s) And, and so, you know, talking about why, why this matters and, and why this is here, you know, um, things like infrastructure, things like these stages, these private capital investments, and the workers that then populate them, these, these are our greatest assets as, as a state that we've formed since 2008 with it, since this credit was enacted. These are things that are not easily replaced or rebuilt. And, you know, from conversations with colleagues, fellow studio operators, we find ourself at a pretty critical moment, um, where we're, we're looking to sustain in, in the current headwinds and find a way to be self-sustaining in the future, to have a permanent presence in this state. [1:08:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4099s) It's been a fantastic investment that's impacted thousands of Georgians and small businesses. You know, when these stages are empty, it doesn't just impact our industry. It's the workers, it's the lumber deliveries, it's the equipment suppliers, it's the laundromat, it's the catering line, it's so on and so forth. And, and the-- You know, we like to say this is the economic development impact of throwing a huge rock in a still pond, you know? And there's a reason, this proof of concept, you know, is the reason other states have, have pointed at us. They've been overtly in saying, "We're coming for Georgia. [1:08:50](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4130s) We're coming for your jobs." Um, because it's been so successful a- a- and we have that true proof of concept. So, I mean, would just love to emphasize from the studio perspective, you know, we'd love to engage in conversations on how we keep Georgia competitive, how we keep them a leader in this industry, because we've made incredible strides. Um, and it would be, um, i-i-in our opinion, prudent to sustain those and, and, um, continue on this path. [1:09:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4159s) Thank you so much. Thank you. Appreciate what you do. Thank you. Uh, Gracie, if you'll go ahead and hit the cr- camera ready, let's go. Let me see if- Camera ready. I wonder if we, uh- [1:09:34](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4174s) And action. The Camera Ready program puts everything a production needs in one place. That point of contact can direct them to everything from a stage, production support, regulations, filing film permits. They can find any location the production needs in order to complete their project, from mountains, to small towns, to farms, to beaches, to neighborhoods and schools. They've embraced us, made us feel very welcome. We've got a single point of contact we go to for anything we need. If there is something in my county or area that I don't have, I can easily call a colleague. [1:10:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4208s) There's not a competition. We just want the state to succeed. I think it's probably the only place in the world that has such a coordinated effort, and it's invaluable because there's no additional cost to any production. Having the support of the cities, and especially at the state level, the State Film Commission, really supporting us as location managers and location scouts, it's really awesome to work in a place that really supports the film industry. If you are considering filming in Georgia, our Camera Ready liaisons are here to support you. [1:10:50](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4250s) And action. Thank you so much for bringing that video. Um- Jason- It's been a great meeting so far. I'm gonna take the kids out. Okay. I think the kids are leaving, unfortunately. Um, Antonio Moses, if you wanna come up. Thank you. Yep. Kids, thanks for coming. Go home, watch Stranger Things, make some movies. [1:11:21](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4281s) That's the man that walked in with the best beard in the room today. You're, you're winning. Mic number two, you are live. I'm doing... How you doing? [1:11:35](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4295s) Uh, chairman, members of the committee, uh, thank, thank you for having us. I appreciate this opportunity. Uh, cutting the, uh, film tax credit won't just hurt Hollywood, it will wipe out the, uh, independent filmmakers here in the state of Georgia entirely. Um, major studios can absorb, uh, the loss from the tax credits. They have deep pockets, um, diversified portfolios and global, uh, operations. [1:12:06](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4326s) Independent filmmakers like us, on the other hand, we do not operate in that space. Um, I've invested personally $700,000 over the last, I think since 2023, into the film industry with hopes of taking advantage of what the industry offers. Um, after the strike hit, um, it was a stranglehold, of course, on the industry. Approximately about a year, we didn't have viable jobs. [1:12:38](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4358s) We didn't work. Um, I had a 50,000 square feet facility that we invested 200,000, uh, personal dollars into, um, which became a graveyard. You know, there were no productions happening, not at the level and the scale that was necessary to support the building that we had. Now, I know a lot of m- people might say, "Hey, why didn't you, why don't you just change, shift gears, you know, start something different?" Uh, I'm 60, so at this point, you know, this is my 401. [1:13:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4389s) I've got to work and make this work. Um, I'm a Grady baby, um, so I've just laced my boots up and we have to keep striving to make this work. Cutting the tax credit will destroy the industry for f- independent filmmakers, period, end of stop. There's no way getting around it. It's already hard, uh, for us to try and access the benefits that the larger production companies get, and immediately when, um, the, the, the, the tires hit the road, those companies left Georgia to other countries to film, leaving us, the independent filmmakers here, to try and make do with what we had. [1:13:58](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4438s) So there was no financing in place. There's no budgets in place. Um, rather than the industry embracing us to help us fill the void that was left, we just had to, um, we had to try and make it work. So, um, I'm just here today as, um, a voice for the independent filmmaker, um, to stand against or to add and give information that would probably help the decision for not terminating the film tax credit. [1:14:31](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4471s) Um, we just received our f- letter, uh, for workforce development to help, uh, underprivileged kids have access to integrating AI into film and television production. Uh, we just partnered with Hillside, uh, International, uh, s- um, Church to where we actually will be able to, um, teach kids and, um, about film and television. [1:15:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4502s) But the problem will be there won't be an industry for them to work in- Oh, yeah ... you know, if we teach them. So these are some of the things that we're, uh, trying to work with. I'm not here with my hands out. I'm here with my hands up, uh, trying to figure out what can be done, and if I can help in any way, by all means, I wanna do that. [1:15:24](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4524s) Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate what you do. And you look good for 60, by the way, just, just saying. A lot of water. Yeah. Hey, I knew that was what it was. This Fresca, this Fresca is letting me down. Dang it. Missed my window. Making 47 look rough. All right. Uh, I... We've got time for one more speaker, Mr., uh... Is it Mr. Cutter? Yes, sir. Come on in, Mr. Cutter. Appreciate you being here, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna wrap it up. Uh, we do have a few couple of questions. [1:15:54](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4554s) I'll try to- I'll try to get to you. Go ahead, sir. I'll try to keep this compressed and short. So, um, long story short, um, I, I represent a, a platform and a business called Kinship. Um, began in two thou- uh, 2024 with the, um, dis- uh, s- discovery excursion, uh, with the State of, uh, Georgia poli- uh, policy leaders coming to Japan to help us, um, make some, um, organized connections and look at, uh, a different model, um, going forward of providing value and opportunity to the State of Georgia. [1:16:28](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4588s) Um, the, the industry is competitive globally right now. There's a lot of conversation about what we do locally competing nationally with other states. The competition is global. Um, tax credits, that cra- tax credit system, that competition is global. Dubai, um, other states are having those same issues. Um, I think Georgia's brand in entertainment is not necessarily a policy, it's a product. Um, it's how people see us. It's how people distinguish different places in the world and in the United States to do business with. [1:17:02](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4622s) Um, so, uh, for 2024, we, uh, we took an excursion of, uh, politicians, uh, led by our distinguished Senator James, um, a couple of other representatives to Japan to meet with some of their local politicians. Um, that event was so successful, um, it birthed the need for a new platform, a new way of doing business and supporting cross-border development. Um, there's a lot of venture development in IT industry, but there's none like that for municipal, um, integrated support and development with these industries, with these businesses that leads back to community inclusion. [1:17:36](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4656s) Um, so we set forth last year to ge- began building that platform with Georgia and Japan being the, uh, the platform or the pilot platform for this to take place. Um, it's an opportunity for Georgia to be able to brand itself and turn what we're having policy conversations about today into equitable, uh, opportunity and return, not for just businesses, but the people. Um, the independence, um, in both countries, if you go to look at a place like Japan, they don't have an independent industry. [1:18:08](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4688s) Um, and what it looks like is big businesses, um, holding a chokehold around the cities on what they approve and don't approve. The independent industry is very important to the, to the livelihood and the opportunities and the mani- and the maneuverability that cities have. Um, then, and they're looking to Georgia to lead and partner. So from that, um, e- excursion, since then, we, in 2025, we brought a, a delegation of Japanese, um, esports, um, uh, venture businesses here to Japan to meet and see Georgia, and within about five days, they called me on their way to the airport and told me, "Hey, we wanna move our business from Delaware to Atlanta. [1:18:49](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4729s) Can you help us do that?" Um, and it's, it's the brand of not just the tax credit, but it's everything that wraps around that tax credit. It's what that tax credit produces in these small towns, in these small cities, the initiatives. It's the culture that brings everything together. Um, entertainment is the gateway to, uh, our brand globally, and, and I think Georgia has a strong opportunity and ability right now to, to, to maintain that leadership position that we have worldwide. [1:19:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4759s) It, it, it... We, we have a leadership. There's competitions in the United States between other countries or the other states, but there are other countries trying to compete with Georgia itself, not United States. They're competing with Georgia. Um, and right now, Japan is one of the world's largest US dollar sympathetic, uh, economies, um, that is wanting to be a partner with Georgia, and we are looking at how do we help from a grassroot, from a community-led or community-based opportunities, how we, how can we do what we do, our resources, our capabilities of organizing, um, incubating ideas, concepts, coming to the state with, uh, ideas, other partnerships that we can help grow, um, these opportunities. [1:20:03](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4803s) Um, so this year, uh, we are expanding to include a, uh, a, um, cross-border summit, um, that we're planning to do this November 13 to the 15th. Um, there's already two cities in Japan that we have looking to come. Um, they're bringing two of their mo- uh, biggest movie production companies. They're bringing their muv- uh, their, uh, their music industry. Um, and today we have one of, uh, Japan's, uh, she- uh, one of our, uh, music artists from Japan with about six albums in Japan, helping us explore, uh, cross-border and synergetic, um, pipelines for not only workforce development, skill development, but, um, content development. [1:20:43](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4843s) A lot of these countries, they're building out large budgets for just content production. They wanna be the content production houses of the world, and you can't do that without a production infrastructure. Um, and the tax credit is a huge component of that, and I think that, you know, what we're looking to do is help expand that concept and evolve concepts, maintain the tax credit we have, but look at ways that we can involve what we're doing to be more competitive with the tax credit being the core component of what defines Georgia's brand. Um, so with that, um, uh, I have any questions anybody have afterwards, I'd be happy to retain, but there's a lot of, uh, conversations I've heard today about, um, economic development. [1:21:22](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4882s) Um, this is the core of economic development, the businesses that it builds, startups that it builds, the hope and, and ingenuity that it builds. Creatives are the, uh, is the, is the engine for incubation. Um, and so, uh- I'm here to help and provide whatever resources we have, but there are resources, there are opportunities on the table, and what my hope and goal is that you don't let that die in this capital. We have, uh, programs already in place right now. We have one of dra- of Japan's biggest artists, um, that does go for artists. [1:21:54](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4914s) He's a certified, uh, from their Ministry of, um, Economics, uh, Economic Development to partner with Georgia to provide a gift exchange, cultural exchange project. We have, um, we have the Japanese coming, uh, two Japanese cities coming here for discovery tours around Georgia. Um, and with, eh, on the back of what we've seen happen with the Reg- the, the other Japanese come here for just five days, five days seeing the BeltLine, seeing Ponce City Market, seeing the vast amount of studios, um, and, and looking at the infrastructure that we have in place, and they don't wanna compete, they wanna partner. [1:22:33](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4953s) And so I think right now the future of what we look at as far as an industry is not to isolate ourself and cut back on the things that are our brand, but, but embrace it and evolve it and make that our brand. Our, our communication, our, our, our cities, uh, I'm from Savannah, Georgia. Our cities and where we come from, those are brands that are, that we can, from the state of Georgia standpoint, can be products. And these companies, these countries, instead of competing also with tax credit, it's incumbent upon us right now to move forward and quickly to build partners instead of ha- in- instead of competitive, in- instead of com- com- um, competitors in different states. [1:23:09](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=4989s) Find these c- uh, these countries and build partnerships with the state of Georgia. We don't need the US or all governments or the federal government. Georgia can go in and compete and be a big brand itself globally. So I'll end myself with that. [1:23:23](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5003s) Thank you so much. Appreciate you being here, guys. We're running out of time. We did have two questions, but I'm gonna ask those guys to do it offline. Just, just to recap real quick, uh, our meeting today was to, to really celebrate Georgia Film Ready Communities, and, uh, I think we started that thing highlighting how each city across the, our state is getting ready and making sure they're ready so when film comes a-knocking, we're answering the phone. And like the gentleman said, we, we wanna make sure that film understands that Georgia's like the staple easy button. [1:23:57](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5037s) You pick up the phone, somebody's on the other line. We're willing to roll up our sleeves and get dirty and get you to production, 'cause time is money in this business. And so we are ready. Um, communities across the state are ready, and we're gonna celebrate that today, and I appreciate everybody else's comments. A lot of good things we talked about today, but let's don't lose fact that we're not, we're not really talking about the messing with the tax credit. That's not what we're trying to do here. We're trying to celebrate that communities all over the state are here, ready, willing, and ready to roll up their sleeve, and let's celebrate it. [1:24:30](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5070s) So thank you, guys, for your time today. [1:25:18](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5118s) Can I say something real quick? [1:25:19](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5119s) Oh, I... Uh, yeah. Go ahead. [1:25:23](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5123s) I am Senator Nan Orrock. [1:25:24](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5124s) Sorry. We're good. [1:25:25](https://vimeo.com/1171904991#t=5125s) We have a, uh, special