Georgia’s Entertainment Division Wins Statewide Recognition for Customer Service
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Small team’s big services reap Governor’s Commendation
for Excellence in Customer Service Award 1/24/10 The vast amount of recent film & TV production in
Georgia has resulted in the state’s highest recognition of the
team behind it. The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s
Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Division has been awarded
the Governor’s Commendation for Excellence in Customer Service
for its ongoing commitment to providing excellent customer
service during the extraordinary increase in projects spurred by
the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act passed in
2008. “Georgia has a national reputation in the entertainment
industry, not just for our film-friendly assets and aggressive
incentives, but for our team’s high quality of responsiveness,”
said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of
Economic Development. “Our entertainment projects have increased
almost 150 percent, which I attribute in large part to the way
our team courteously and efficiently accommodates the needs of
these clients.” The six-person entertainment team has assisted with
production activity in 50 Georgia counties, with the resulting
impact resonating throughout the entire state. During fiscal
year 2009 (July 2008 through June 2009), investment in
Georgia-made productions totaled more than $770 million, and the
economic impact of the entertainment industry in Georgia was a
record-breaking $1.3-plus billion. During that time, 26 feature
films, 93 television productions, 251 commercials, 37 music
videos and 41 video games were produced in Georgia. They
included The Last Song, with Miley Cyrus; Due Date, with Robert
Downey, Jr., and Jamie Foxx; Life as We Know It, with Katherine
Heigl; The Conspirator, directed by Robert Redford; and The
Blind Side with Sandra Bullock, one of the top-grossing films of
the last few weeks. Georgia’s entertainment workforce is more than 25,000 members
strong, and the number of film and TV crews operating in the
state grew by 85 percent in 2009. The team also helped attract
more than 16 entertainment-related companies have located or
relocated in the state. Many other existing companies have
expanded their operations. The Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act has helped
catapult the state into the ranks of the top five entertainment
production locations in the U.S., and Georgia now ranks number
one for entertainment activity among the southeastern states.
The legislation grants an income tax credit of 20 percent to
qualified productions. An additional 10 percent tax credit is
awarded to approved projects that embed a Georgia promotional
logo in the titles or credits of a production. Eligible
productions include both traditional motion picture projects
such as feature films, television series, commercials and music
videos, and innovative industries like game development and
animation. The Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Division, 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 division’s team also assists the
local, national and international entertainment industries with
information, expertise and resources. It is a division of the
Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the sales
and marketing arm of the State of Georgia.
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