Meet our Legacy Day Panelists: Making The Tax Credit Work For You

Peter Stathopoulos

Peter Stathopoulos is a Partner in Bennett Thrasher’s State & Local Tax practice and leader of the firm’s Entertainment practice. In his Entertainment practice, Peter helps clients maximize entertainment incentives for film, television and digital interactive entertainment. This includes performing audits, agreed-upon procedures and due diligence reviews of qualified entertainment expenditures to help clients claim and monetize their credits in states across the country, including but not limited to Georgia, New York, New Mexico, California, Virginia, Illinois, Utah, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

In his State & Local Tax practice, Peter helps clients resolve state tax controversies, determine nexus/filing obligations, perform apportionment studies, mitigate prior period liabilities through voluntary disclosure agreements and perform tax planning to help clients optimize their state and local tax posture. Peter also helps clients maximize both statutory and negotiable economic development incentives.

Peter has worked with his clients in helping shape state tax policy, including helping draft portions of Georgia’s entertainment incentives statute and regulations.

Prior to Bennett Thrasher, Peter was a Partner at a national law firm practicing in the areas of state and local tax controversy and litigation. Before that, Peter was a Principal Consultant in the state tax consulting practice of a Big 4 accounting firm. Peter also has prior experience serving as an attorney working in tax policy with the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Peter is a frequent speaker and has published numerous articles or been quoted regarding entertainment incentives and state tax issues, including in Variety, Total Retail, Oz, Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Journal of Multistate Taxation and State Tax Notes.

Chester Cook

Chester Cook joined DOR in 2005, and before his promotion to Deputy State Revenue Commissioner, he served as the Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Tax Operations where he oversaw Income Tax Policy, Indirect Tax Policy, Compliance, Audits, and Taxpayer Services. This included leadership over multidisciplinary groups such as tax compliance for IFTA/IRP, motor fuel tax, individual income tax, corporate income tax, film tax credits, sales and use tax and several miscellaneous taxes administered by DOR.

His other positions within DOR include Audits Director, Audits Assistant Director, Audits Program Manager, Audits Manager, and Audits Supervisor. He has also served as a Tax Policy Analyst within Legal Affairs and Tax Policy. Prior to joining DOR, he held various roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Fulton County Board of Tax Assessors, and the corporate banking industry. He is a graduate of Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business where he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Taxation.

Chelsea Spivey

Treasurer -WIFTA

Sr. Director, New Business Development & Production Incentives -Revolution Entertainment Services.

Chelsea's proficiency in film tax credits and incentives spans nationwide. She holds strong connections with various film entities such as studios, production companies, producers, film and TV executives, and film financiers. She has facilitated over $1.5 billion in tax credits transfers. As a Senior Director of New Business Development and Production Incentives at Revolution Entertainment Services, Chelsea specializes in offering production payroll services, production software, tax incentive advisory services, and tax credit brokering to her industry associates.

Additionally, Chelsea serves as a Co-Executive Producer for the upcoming film "Flash Before the Bang," currently in production and Co-Producer on another major feature currently in development.