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.
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...
If you love to shop, you’d love Amanda Cornell’s job. She buys most of the stuff that winds up on a movie set. Actually, it’s more than shopping.
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...
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...
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....
Recent movie production has drawn excitement from Macon residents. HBO has been filming off Cherry Street in downtown Macon, and city officials have been happy with the economic investment it has brought. Productions can...
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...
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...
Jason Hanline always knew he wanted to be a filmmaker in some way.
From binging his favorite movies to making his own low-budget pieces, he has had a passion for film since he was a kid. But when it came time for...
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...
Macon native Catina was drawn back to her home state after a stint studying film production at UCLA. As the industry acknowledged the incredible growth of the film industry in Georgia, she thought it would be a perfect...
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 city of Roswell serves as Houston in the Academy Award-winning film, "First Man."
Beth Castro and her catering company, Elizabeth’s Catering, specializes in custom cakes. Word quickly spread in the film industry, and she was hired to do wrap parties and production catering. What started as an...
What started in front of the camera for Chris Birdsong has ignited a successful career behind the camera years later. Well, if being dragged to sets by your mother to be an extra counts, then that’s exactly what Chris...
“After being shut down for months, it felt good to give the people in our community jobs,” says Savannah native Mark McCullough, writer and director of “A Savannah Haunting.” COVID briefly shut down production in Georgia...
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...
Set lighting technician Colin Luke moved to Georgia from Louisiana to join the thriving film industry in the state. As a skilled lighting technician, Colin works with the director of photography to light sets and...
When her job in the energy industry was eliminated due to downsizing, Mallory deGolian created a new, thriving career in Georgia’s film and television production industry as a food stylist.
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...
It was a rough time for C&C Draperies, a decades-old family business in Tucker.
About a decade ago, the housing market and changing times had crumbled the old business model.
“Nobody does residential draperies anymore...
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...
Gwinnett Place Mall is transformed into an abandoned mall in "The Darkest Minds," where crew and actors spent days filming scenes for the series.
