Why is Atlanta Georgia becoming the new Hollywood?
I have been noticing more and more that a lot of movies have been filmed in Atlanta Georgia and that many still continue to be filmed there.
Is the city just becoming even more popular than usual or is there some incentive to the geographic location, places to shoot, climate, scenery, or entertainment industry professionals? Or was it a legal incentive of some sort?
Best Answer
Simply....
Money
There are significant tax incentives for film production in Georgia (both movie & TV)
Time has an excellent article online
Georgia has been working to attract Hollywood since 2008, when then governor Sonny Perdue signed a generous tax incentive for film productions. Thomas says officials lobbied for the measure after the state lost the production of Ray, the biopic about Georgia native Ray Charles that won Jamie Foxx an Oscar, to Louisiana. Georgia now offers a 20% incentive on productions of $500,000 or more, plus an additional 10% if the film adds a peach logo to its credits. The incentives are similar to those in states like New York and Louisiana, but in Georgia, unlike those states, the law has no end date.
In 2007, the film industry spent $93 million on productions in Georgia. In 2016, it spent over $2 billion. In the past decade, the tax perk has attracted the Hunger Games franchise, the Fast and Furious movies and superproducer Tyler Perry, who has made the state his base. Television hits like Stranger Things, critical darlings like Atlanta and reality series like The Real Housewives of Atlanta have all set up shop in the capital, often for years at a time. Georgia’s government estimates that in 2016 alone, the film industry gave the state a $7 billion economic boost through job creation and tourism.
...and co-operation
It takes more than tax incentives to lure productions. “It’s not enough to just get us here,” says Walking Dead producer Tom Luse, a Georgia native who began his career as a production manager on the Georgia-based film Glory. “The mayor [of Senoia] and state are eager to help, allowing us to shut down bridges and streets and take over towns.”
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Is Atlanta the New Black Hollywood?
For Tyler Perry and thousands of Black creatives, Atlanta is the place where dreams come true. In 2019, Tyler Perry cemented his film empire and made history by opening the first-ever fully-Black-owned film studio \u2014 not in Hollywood but Atlanta, a growing hub for Black culture and creativity.Why Is Atlanta the Hollywood of the South?
Various blockbuster films and TV shows have been produced through these studios. One of the most well-known film production companies is Tyler Perry Studios. The vision of legendary playwright, Tyler Perry, to create a platform to showcase his own works has been credited for helping make Atlanta Hollywood of the South.Why are so many movies shot in Atlanta?
Taxes are a price, or a penalty levied on production. In that case it's no coincidence that so many movies are nowadays shot in Georgia. Hollywood's best and brightest seek the lowest tax price (or better yet, the best tax incentive) to maximize profits in an industry defined by shrinking margins.Why is Atlanta called Black Hollywood?
However, in recent years, this space has opened up to allow for greater representation of Black culture, its histories, and the nuances of Black identity. Georgia has become known as the Hollywood of the South, Black Hollywood, and Atlanta is the Black Mecca amongst all of this.Why Georgia Is Becoming America’s New Movie-Making Capital
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