More than 2,100 miles east of Hollywood and almost 900 miles south of New York City, the state of Georgia is fast becoming a major player in the TV and film industry.
With the help of an inventive tax credit, the state’s TV and film industry has boomed. Since the tax credit went into effect in 2008, the industry’s economic impact has jumped from $260 million to an estimated $6 billion this year, Georgia estimates. The state now ranks third in production, behind California and New York, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. Business shows no signs of slowing, but the rapid growth has brought on some pretty stiff labor pains.
“What we’ve experienced is, we don’t have enough crew to support all of the features and television series that are coming in,” said Lee Thomas, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office.