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Bill Thompson
Deputy Commissioner, Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office
Bill Thompson is deputy commissioner of Georgia’s Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office. He is responsible for developing marketing and sales strategies that will grow and enhance Georgia’s entertainment industry.
Housed in the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the division promotes Georgia as an entertainment industry destination, increasing awareness of the state’s multimedia business opportunities, resources and infrastructure by building relationships with prospective global clients. Since the inception of the office in 1973, more than 550 major motion pictures and television movies have filmed on location in the state. As a result, more than $4 billion has been generated for the state’s economy.
A communications industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in the film, video and television arenas, Mr. Thompson has worked in 28 countries on five continents and in 44 U.S. states. His clients have included television networks, Hollywood studios, major record labels, advertising agencies, production companies, institutions and Fortune 100, 300 and 500 corporations. He was very involved in numerous projects during the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta and in 2005 produced several projects for the Brand Atlanta campaign, Coca-Cola and General Electric. Over the course of his career, Mr. Thompson has also worked with many music artists including the Rolling Stones, U2, Talking Heads, TLC and Elton John.
Mr. Thompson was nominated for an Emmy award in 1998 for producing the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards show, and has won an MTV music video award, several Telly awards, a Cable Atlanta “Best Original Series” award and an International Television Association award. He is a member of numerous professional organizations including the Georgia Production Partnership, Media Communications Association International, IMAGE Film/Video Center and the Atlanta Film Festival, and Women in Film and Television. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Technology Association of Georgia's Entertainment Society Board of Directors. Mr. Thompson received the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award from Georgia State University in 2001 and is a past board member of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.
Mr. Thompson holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Communications from GSU. He lives in Decatur with his wife Nena and a yellow lab named Buddy.