Georgia #1 In Film Production In 2020

Georgia again has been ranked #1 in film production. The new rankings come from Gov. Brian Kemp, who relayed findings from Business Facilities Magazine.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, film and TV production in Georgia was on pace to break its previous record set the year before.

Georgia Ranked #1 In Film Production

“The film industry has had a significant impact on communities across the Peach State,” Kemp said. “And this top ranking puts a spotlight on the hardworking Georgians who are the real faces of this great industry.”

Here are the 2020 numbers Georgia had tallied before COVID-19 stalled operations:

• 234 film and TV productions that had wrapped or were in the works
• $2.2 billion spent in the first three months of 2020

“This No. 1 ranking, in addition to our record-setting production pace in film prior to COVID-19, is a testament to everyone who is involved in the film industry in Georgia,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “I congratulate our Emmy-nominated productions on their exciting news, but especially congratulate our team in the Georgia Film Office, our Georgia-based crew, studios, small businesses, and our production partners across the state for this exceptional recognition. It’s heartening to see more productions getting off the ground in recent weeks, and our relationship with our film partners is stronger than ever.”

The news comes as Georgia productions garnered close to 50 Emmy nominations, including for the following hit shows:

• Ozark
• Stranger Things
• Love Is Blind
• Watchmen 

And the list goes on. Kemp told reporters earlier in the summer that film and TV productions would begin to slowly ramp back up as studios began to implement COVID-19 protocols for safe working environments.

To that end, Georgia’s Film Office has published a Best Practices manual to help filmmakers resume productions with safety in mind.

Atlanta movie mogul Tyler Perry was one of the first filmmakers in the nation — and certainly the largest — to resume productions.

Perry put together a quarantine bubble plan that has been studied by professional sports leagues as a way to safely resume operations in the midst of COVID-19.

While Georgia as a whole has benefited from the movie business, Atlanta in particular has reaped the largest windfall. Thousands of Atlantans are employed in the film indusry.

Atlanta has become a movie mecca in recent years and Georgia has been a favorite location for TV productions since the state instituted generous tax breaks for film companies that agree to shoot locally. Projects from CBS, NBC, HBO, BET and more are slated to shoot in the metro area in 2018-19 and the foreseeable future.