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.
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...
Nora Clark did a bit of a zigzag on her way to a film production career in Savannah. But now that she's there, she envisions staying put.
"I came to Savannah to teach dance," she says. "I was finishing a class when a...
The major motion picture, “Wash Me in the River,” began filming in Waycross, and the whole town got in on the action. The charm of the southern Georgian town attracted the film’s producers for the film starring Robert De...
Filming under the Gold Dome! "The Walking Dead" transformed the Georgia State Capitol into a dystopian museum, making it the first production set of its kind. Governor Nathan Deal even dropped by the set.
Myles-Anthony Johnson, age 17, asked all the right questions, and that’s exactly the point:
• How do I get involved?
• What degrees would help me get into the entertainment industry?
• What are some of the jobs that...
Karen Felix has spent 15 years in the film industry, mainly working as a property master. After quitting her restaurant job in 2004, she has been working steadily in the film economy. Now her passion is supporting and...
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...
After losing her job in special education, Jessica Lowry capitalized on the popularity of productions filming right in her backyard of Covington. She created Hollywood of the South Tours to take “Vampire Diary” fans...
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...
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...
Met Clark is a Power Springs native from Thai immigrant parents, who never dreamed their son would be a medic on such productions as “Haunting of Hill House” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” In fact, Met retired early from...
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...
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...
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...
Every year hundreds of commercials are filmed in Georgia, capitalizing on the crew, actors and infrastructure shared by the booming film and television production industry, and playing an important role in the careers of...
Covington resident Nicole Kanoy took her love for animals and made it into a business, supplying and training animals for productions in Georgia. It became so lucrative that she started Animals On Set, a small business...
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...
Family-owned Lightin’ Production Rentals has been serving Georgia’s film industry for nearly 40 years. However, it doubled its product line and grew to 70 employees ever since the film tax credits were passed. The...
The trustees of Timothy Lutheran Church (TLC) in Woodstock were excited to get an unexpected windfall from the Christian movie “A Walking Miracle” filmed in Georgia. While looking for a location to shoot a pivotal action...
For Boise Cascade, a wholesale distributor of building materials for residential and commercial construction markets, Georgia’s film industry is a consistent and reliable channel for the company that fills gaps during...
Tucker native Daren Gayle and his wife Karen are burnishing Georgia’s image one gift basket at a time. They saw an opportunity with the influx of cast and crew coming to Georgia to film. Since then, Georgia Gifts and...
Atlanta realtor, Mary Louise Freeman, used her intimate knowledge of neighborhoods in the city to become a location scout and assistant location manager during the recession. After working on many major film productions...
Ellenwood resident, Jeff Nix, found a way to use his expertise of reptiles and exotic insects to make a living in the film industry in Georgia. Over the past couple of years, he has built a business off supplying...
