Georgia Film Stories
Georgia is one of the top film-production centers in the world, thanks to the Georgians, small businesses and engaged communities that work together to create the best climate for storytellers to succeed.
In fact, the best stories in the business are the personal stories of the Georgians who work behind the scenes — whether it’s the production that has spurred new investment in a local community, the small business that has expanded to serve the industry, or the Georgian who has obtained professional training to become a crewmember on a set. Collaborating with industry partners and Georgia’s “camera ready” contacts, the Georgia Film Office is cataloging stories in Georgia’s film industry from across the state to tell the story of how “Georgia Film Works!” Submit your own Georgia Film success story.
Small Business Stories
Small business stories spotlight the local small businesses that serve Georgia’s film industry.
Production Stories
Production stories spotlight the impact specific movie productions have had in local Georgia communities.
Georgian Stories
Georgian stories spotlight individuals working in Georgia’s film industry.
Georgia Film Academy
The Georgia Film Academy is a collaborative effort between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia to support the workforce in Georgia’s film industry. It is affiliated with more than 25 campuses across the state and connects Georgia students with production employment.
Writer, actor and voice/dialect coach Kristina Reiersgard was in Savannah to produce a new independent film. To find extra work, she posted her credentials on the Savannah Regional Film Commission website and shortly...
HBO's "Sharp Objects" filmed entirely in Barnesville, Georgia."We hope when this production company leaves they sing the praises of Barnesville."
Covington, located approximately 35 miles east of Atlanta, has been long established as a pivotal film and television production hub in Georgia. Benefiting from its scenic cityscapes, robust production infrastructure...
Chad Embree is an artist and lifetime resident of Rome. He’s also an ambitious entrepreneur who used his social media marketing skills to snag a coveted job in Georgia’s film industry for himself and his employees.
Read...
Taylor Vickers followed her husband in the film production location industry. One production lead to another, and eventually she was asked to help scout the HBO series “Sharp Objects.” She drove all over Georgia until...
The Savannah Economic Development Authority (“SEDA”) facilitates business attraction, retention, and expansion in Savannah, operating various divisions including the Savannah Regional Film Commission (“SRFC”). The film...
Andrea McDougal and her husband Christpher are the owners of McDougal Movie Medics, which staff productions with certified emergency medical professionals. Before starting their own business, Andrea worked with Grady EMS...
Trenton Tye grew up in Southwest Georgia focused on becoming a blacksmith.
As a child, he became fascinated with the trade while on a field trip to a Civil War site. Trenton now has his own business, Purgatory...
What started out as custom rugs for one film production, quickly grew to supplying the flooring and carpet for over 20 productions. Dalton based and family-owned Myers Carpet continues to meet the flooring needs of...
In a Savannah movie theatre 22 years ago, a four-year-old girl sat, entranced, watching the blockbuster Titanic with her mother. It was an event that would make a lasting impression on her life and career.
“It was the...
After being laid off from his surveying job in 2010, Sharpsburg native John Privett started to getting work in Georgia’s film industry. One of his friends in the survey industry suggested he start working in craft...
Stacy Milner remembers having to explain the acronym to her peers.
The longtime entertainment industry professional was discussing helping students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) break into her...
When he entered the University of Georgia as a freshman, Kyle Hamlin had decided opera was his future.
"I thought I wanted to be an opera singer," he says. "I realized that was not the path for me, so I switched to...
Georgia prides itself on having locations to fit almost every film staging, and Clayton County native (and GSU graduate) Kyle Hinshaw knows them all as a location manager. Whether it’s Atlanta as a setting for a car...
As the setting of the HBO series “Sharp Objects,” Barnesville went through a dramatic transformation that brought jobs and economic opportunity. Production crews shopped in stores, hired locals for various set projects...
Cast and crew of the movie, “Reactor,” have started filming in Cordele. Drawing on the unique resources of south Georgia, the production was able to film in Fitzgerald and Valdosta. Producers are also employing a number...
Business owners, Maryelle St. Clare and Christine Nelson, breathed new life into an abandoned warehouse in Atlanta. The sisters, who owned a set decorating company called Oompalala, turned the space into a mini-mall for...
Kayla Thomas thinks we could all use a little more humor in our lives.
What inspired her to get involved in the film? “It really started when I was in Georgia College my sophomore year. We had a film class and learned...
Scott Nickelson left Georgia after high school only to return 20 years later to work as a communications technician within the film industry. Now living in Rome with his family, Scott is part of Exchange Communications...
College Park resident Dwight Abercrombie credits the film industry for getting his life back on track. Before working in film, he worked “dead-end” jobs that all seemed to end the same. An opportunity at EUE/Screen Gems...
Film “opened up a new market” for Hall Atlanta Wholesale Florist, a family-owned small business that has been around since 1921. The company has supplied arrangements to productions in order to meet every visual medium...
Back in the 1950s downtown Covington was a thriving retail center for Newton County. On the square shops sold shoes, clothes, jewelry, and furniture. There were restaurants, hair salons and barber shops. Then came the...
Occasionally we check-in with some of the people featured in our stories to learn how their careers are progressing in Georgia's production industry. Here's an update on Terrence Williams.
When the pandemic hit...
Production Sound Mixer Kevin Strahm found his way to Savannah after working in Augusta, Charlotte, and with his family’s mission in the Philippines. He had always had a passion for the audio visual industry, observing...
