Atlanta is serious about luring and keeping young talent in the city. So serious that city officials have launched its own video streaming platform. The Metro Atlanta Chamber is using ChooseATL, its 2015 tech initiative, to unveil the new platform THEA this week at SXSW.
“One of the things that is both special about Atlanta and desired by the millennial generation is diversity and diversity of people, but also diversity of thought, industry, culture and subculture,” said Kate Atwood, executive director of ChooseATL, tells Adweek. “In Atlanta it kind of makes it hard as a marketer to narrow in on a niche identity, but we also know right now it’s something to celebrated,” she said.
Among some of the early brands using THEA include startup hub Switchyards, Blossom, a diversity-geared content creator, and marketing agency Moxie . Atlanta officials feel that more tech start-ups will gravitate to the platform as word spreads.
“I knew I had to be involved because I am a creator in Atlanta, I want to grow in Atlanta, I want to bloom in Atlanta so it just made sense,” Williamson tells Adweek. “THEA really accelerates the opportunity to spread the word about what we are doing, but it also allows us to prove what we are trying to do. We have this platform that is behind us that supports us and their mission is solely dedicated to making sure the world knows about the creative in Atlanta. That’s special.”
City reps are launching THEA on Monday, March 12 in Austin, Texas. The RSVP says this:
Over the course of the past year, the Atlanta region embarked on a bold new project, the launch of the world’s first city‐based streaming video platform, THEA. This panel is a discussion with some of the key players behind the scenes in getting the platform off the ground. Hear perspectives from the heads of product, technology, and marketing for THEA, and gain some valuable insights into the future of cities, over‐the‐top video services, and entertainment marketing.