Georgia Production Partnership : News Updates

Executive Committee Meeting : July 29 : 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Aaron Weiler (info@georgiaproduction.org) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:06:00 -0500

The next Executive Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday July 29, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, in the North Avenue Room of Manuel's Tavern. Closed to general membership and guests. Executive Committee meetings are normally held on the last Tuesday of every month. Please refer to the Executive Group E-mail for further details.

Member Meeting : August 5 : 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Aaron Weiler (info@georgiaproduction.org) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:04:00 -0500

The next member meeting will take place on Tuesday August 5, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, in the private meeting room of Manuel's Tavern. Member meetings are normally held on the first Tuesday of every month. Industry topics discussed. Guest speaker/presentation to be announced. Visit the GPP Web site at http://www.georgiaproduction.org/public/events for event details and driving directions.

Highlights Of The 2008 Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act

Aaron Weiler (info@georgiaproduction.org) — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:06:00 -0500

Highlights Of The 2008 Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act

Previous multi-part, tier incentive is now 20% flat tax credit on qualified Georgia expenditures.

The foundation of the Act is a 20% investment tax credit. Production companies that spend a minimum of $500,000 in the state on qualified production and post production expenditures in a single year are eligible for this credit. This includes most materials, services and labor. The 20% credit applies to both residential and out-of-town hires with a salary cap of $500,000 per person, per production.

Provides an additional 10% tax credit if a production company includes a Georgia promotional logo in the finished feature film, TV series, music video or video game project.

Provides the same tax credits anywhere in the State of Georgia.

Provides the same tax credits to all instate and out-of-state labor.

Commercials and music videos are eligible for the 20% base tax credit once the production company has spent a minimum of $500,000 on qualified expenditures during a single year. This may be through a single project or multiple projects.

The tax credits apply to the company's Georgia tax liability. Should the company have limited or no Georgia tax liability, then the credit may be transferred or sold once to one or multiple Georgia-based companies to use against their tax liabilities.

In addition to feature film and television production, the Act also includes other areas of entertainment industry development including animation, interactive entertainment and video game development.

Productions may also qualify to take advantage of Georgia's Sales and Use Tax Exemption, a point-of-purchase sales tax exemption that saves you up to 8% on most purchases and rentals in the state.

Please contact the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office of the Georgia Department of Economic Development at 404-962-4052 or via email at film@georgia.org for more information.

Source: Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office

Georgia Boosts Incentives for Entertainment Industry

Aaron Weiler (info@georgiaproduction.org) — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:06:00 -0500

Georgia Boosts Incentives for Entertainment Industry

Governor Perdue signs bill designed to attract more movie, TV and video game productions to state

Governor Perdue signs 2008
Entertainment Industry
Investment Act in a ceremony
at Turner Studios

ATLANTA, Georgia -- On May 12, 2008, Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100), new legislation designed to encourage entertainment industry productions in Georgia. The signing ceremony took place at the studios of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), where the Governor was joined by Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of TBS, Inc., and over 100 attendees including legislators, industry leaders and members of the entertainment industry.

"We know that our excellent talent base and outstanding locations make Georgia a very desirable place to film," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "This legislation puts in place the economic cornerstone that will encourage producers to convert that desire into action."

The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act reinforces and strengthens Georgia's position within the entertainment industry. The new, more competitive incentives replace those currently in use by offering a 20 percent tax credit for qualified productions, which are then eligible for an additional 10 percent tax credit if they include an animated Georgia promotional logo within the finished product.

The incentives apply not only to qualified films, TV series, commercials and music videos, but also to video game productions. The economic impact of all these entertainment segments in Georgia was $413 million in 2007.

"We're proud of this legislation; a lot of the credit goes to Governor Perdue for setting up the film commission," said Rep. Butch Parrish, a sponsor of the legislation. "I think this bill will jump start the Georgia film industry."

"This new incentive allows Georgia to once again compete for an industry we used to be famous for," said Sen. Mitch Seabaugh. "It will be a catalyst that will spur immediate economic investment and create jobs. Georgia will once again be on center stage where it belongs."

"The new incentives will put Georgia among the top five states in the U.S. in terms of financial competitiveness for entertainment projects," said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). "We expect to see an increase in the number of industry jobs and overall economic impact for the state in the coming years."

The state has seen success in the past with competitive incentives. The 2005 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 539), signed by Governor Perdue in 2005, led to a record-setting economic impact in 2006 when film, television and video game companies contributed $475 million to Georgia's economy, up from $124 million in 2004. The total economic impact of entertainment productions from 2005 through 2007 has been over $1.17 billion, due in large part to Georgia's entertainment incentives. Since then, however, film activity in the state has decreased as other states, regions and nations boosted their competitive packages.

"The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100) will return Georgia to its rightful place of prominence in all major entertainment industry segments," stated Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, a division of GDEcD. "We expect a significant increase in film and television projects, and Georgia will be the most competitive state in the country for video game productions. Georgia is one of the few states whose entertainment incentives support the video game industry."

Governor Perdue was joined at the event by Sen. Greg Goggans, who carried the legislation in the Senate, Rep. Ron Stephens, and Rep. Rich Golick.

"House Bill 1100 is a key piece to the puzzle in sustaining Georgia's entertainment industry for the long haul," said Ric Reitz, an actor and producer from Atlanta. "It will provide many new jobs for Georgians, improve the state's entertainment infrastructure, and grow Georgia's indigenous companies."

The Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, formerly known as the Film, Video and Music Office, conducts extensive business development, sales, marketing and promotional activities in order to attract entertainment projects and businesses to the state. The office also assists the local, national and international entertainment industries with information, expertise and resources. The staff points movie production companies to Georgia's highly-trained crews, state-of-the-art facilities, and diverse locations. Georgia's temperate climate and easy access afforded by Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are also factors that attract the industry's interest.

Georgia has been investing in the entertainment industry for over 35 years. Since the inception of the Georgia Film Commission in 1973, more than 575 major motion pictures, independent films, television series and pilots, and TV movies have filmed on location in the state. As a result, over $5 billion has been generated for the state's economy. Georgia's music industry continues to thrive with an economic impact of $1.97 billion in 2007. Movies were first produced in Georgia as early as 1912, and have continued without interruption during every decade since then.

Source: State Of Georgia Office Of The Governor

Georgia County Registration - A GPP Fast Forward Initiative

Aaron Weiler (info@georgiaproduction.org) — Sat, 26 January 2008 15:41:00 -0500

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) is putting together an online database that will provide out-of-area film, television, and commercial producers with vital information about each county's filmic resources. Called the Georgia County Registration, the Fast Forward initiative will be the first of its kind in the country, and could move Georgia counties closer to desirable film industry dollars.

At its basic level, the database is an online form that County officials fill-in with facts important to producers: "what are your current contact numbers?", "what unique structures, landmarks, points of interest, or locations are available in your county for filming?", "what is your proximity to a local or regional airport?", "could vacant county or municipal buildings be made available for short-term production office space as an incentive to producers?"

At a different level, the program has the potential of pumping film dollars into all Georgia counties, even those remote from the big cities. "A majority of production still tends to take place in or near Atlanta and Savannah," said Georgia Film, Video & Music Office Director Bill Thompson. "But a lot of that is just lack of information about the outlying areas. This database could help change that."

Order Your GPP 2008 Cookbooks Today

Tia Powell (pr@georgiaproduction.org) — Sat, 15 December 2007 12:37:00 -0500

Great gift idea and a wonderful way to support the Georgia Film & Video Industry! Just $10. Don't delay, order today! Limited number of books printed. All funds raised from sales of the cookbook go toward the work of the Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) in its continuing mission to promote and support the growth of the film, television, music and interactive game industries in Georgia.

GPP 2008 Cookbook Order Form (140 KB : PDF)

State Hires First Digital Entertainment Guru

Aaron Weiler (info@georgiaproduction.org) — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:04:00 -0500

Video Game Development Industry Booming In Georgia... The Georgia Film, Video And Music Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, is leading the way in the thriving and powerful video game development industry in Georgia. In April, Asante Bradford was hired as a Digital Entertainment Liaison to focus on business development and identifying opportunities to encourage the continued growth of the video game development industry in Georgia.

Georgia's Development Arm Proud Of Successes

Aaron Weiler (info@georgiaproduction.org) — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:03:00 -0500

Movies, videos and commercials contributed $448 million in economic impact and put 7,870 people to work -- "a record-breaking year," according to Bill Thompson, director of the state's film, video and music division. The music industry... Read more at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution