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.
Hollywood productions often call for specific, elaborate set decorations. Take the show "The First Last," for which Myers Carpet of Dalton produced three 38-foot oval rugs for the Oval Office sets of different...
Retired sheriff’s deputy, Ben Payne, started Risk Management Associates of Georgia to address the security challenges on production sets and studios. He now employs 50 full-time employees, with many of them being on-call...
“I've really seen the market boom in the past few years thanks to Georgia’s film industry.” Chad Casey founded Casey Corporate Transportation in 2003, and he now employs five drivers that fulfill the transportation needs...
“I am delighted when I see how many people can get jobs in Georgia these days.” Retired camera assistant and Milledgeville resident Clyde Bryan has seen almost everything in the film industry after 45 years and 128...
WaterMan Spring Water in Athens has been delivering water to film crews throughout Georgia. Founder Greg Reece used to work for the city of Athens but now has shifted to working full time for his small business that...
Makeup artist, Travis Pates, has witnessed firsthand the explosive growth of the film industry in Georgia. And with this growth comes greater experiences and responsibilities for those in Georgia film production industry...
Veteran Jason Benton started Great Dane Production Services in 2016 to help “solve problems” encountered by production companies filming in the state. His company, which employs 12 employees, provides air quality testing...
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...
As the sun rises over Atlanta, the team at Reel Supplies loads up trucks with building materials to be shipped to one of dozens of Georgia film studios. It’s another busy day for the team, doing whatever it takes to...
Terri Morales-Davis became a background actor out of curiosity. Now it's a longtime avocation that stretches the family budget.
"It pays for the little extras," says the stay-at-home mother. "It's like a paid hobby."
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Mamie Pound always had a passion for the entertainment industry as she worked as a local radio and television personality. After she left the industry, she opened her own small business, the Rothchild Pound House Bed and...
Georgia.org Content: Terrance Williams is an employee with IndieGrip in Augusta who has benefited from the thriving film industry in the area of the state between Atlanta and Savannah. Until recently, Terrance had been...
After the recession of 2008, Luke Welden was searching for work after his family’s construction business slowed down. He found an opportunity in the film industry as a location manager for an independent film. Luke...
The 2012 production of “Wanderlust” had a large impact on Habersham County, with over 200 production crew, staff, and actors residing in the North Georgia county for over 12 weeks. Mountain cabin rentals and local...
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...
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...
There is no greater success story than a production revitalizing a community. And that is exactly what happened in Covington. The long-running TV series “The Vampire Diaries” used many of the landmarks in downtown...
Former Miss Cobb County, Lace Larrabee got an opportunity of a lifetime: to act in a TV series filmed in Atlanta. Ironically, the series was about pageants, so Lace was a perfect fit. But the experience ignited a passion...
Working in sports TV production, Rachel Fry found it difficult to raise a child and continue with extensive travel affiliated with her job. The Georgia film industry provided her with the stability to settle down and...
Georgia’s film industry is growing so fast, that Cinema Greens has had to expand multiple times. Started in 2013 in Hampton, the company dresses set, production sound stages, and event spaces with plants and decorative...
Atlanta Eats has been filming Atlanta's most delicious, interesting and one-of- a-kind restaurants for a decade. We take the approach that just because content is local, doesn't mean it can't be high quality and gorgeous...
Nikki Johnson, a set dresser from Jasper, says she is grateful for the film industry and the opportunity to make a good living without a college degree.
“My husband and I are building a house right now,” says Nikki....
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...
Filming of the baseball-themed movie “Undefiled” helped bring jobs and an economic boost to Macon after months of stagnation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Bradford Haynes, a former professional baseball player...
