Page 61 - Coweta NCG 2017

Hometown Hollywood ~ B Y D A N A B R O W N

eorgia is quickly becoming the new Hollywood of the closures. The city has also avoided imposing
East, with beautiful natural settings, a camera-ready permit fees for productions. AMC’s hit series The
program and a production tax incentive. Scott Tigchelaar, Walking Dead is a perfect example of how good this
Gthe President of Raleigh Studios-Atlanta, business can be for a city.
tells us why Coweta County is making the location scouts’ A-list. What role did Coweta County play in the
Does most of Raleigh Studios-Atlanta’s business come creation of Georgia as a film destination?
from soliciting productions or do productions Riverwood Studios (now Raleigh Studios-Atlanta) was built in Senoia
approach you? With the state’s production tax incentive, productions in the late 1980s, the only independent production studio in the
are coming to Georgia in droves. When they come to Georgia, they find state at the time. In the 1990s, film work started moving to
us or other facilities and locations to suit their needs. It’s this simple – Canada and other locations because of the incentives being
without an incentive, there’s nothing we could do to get them to come to offered. In 2003, Paul Lombardi and I met with State
Georgia. With an incentive, there’s nothing we can do to stop them. Senator Mitch Seabaugh and others about getting the state
How many productions have been filmed in Senoia? to incentivize the film industry. Senator Seabaugh worked with
A total of 24 different film and TV productions have used the Georgia film industry and was the driving force in passing a 20
Senoia as a backdrop since 1989, including Fried Green Tomatoes, The War, percent tax credit on projects that cost more than $500,000, plus
Freejack, Sweet Home Alabama, Drop Dead Diva and The Walking Dead. another 10 percent if the state’s logo is embedded in the
Why do you think Senoia is such a popular filming production credits. He was adamant about the incentive being
destination? For years Senoia benefited as a filming location sustainable… attractive enough to draw productions, but
because of its proximity to the studio. More recently, Senoia rolled out the conservative enough to be ‘revenue neutral’ to the State.
welcome mat to accommodate how production companies work, including Now Georgia is third in the nation for film production, and
their unique schedules and often challenging requirements, such as street Coweta County played a critical role in this success story.

Historic Train Depot The Depot’s charm
includes exposed
brick walls, open
PERFECT FOR MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS & CORPORATE EVENTS beam ceilings,

covered patio space
Available and a wide side lawn.

Every Day
of the Week • Great Location in
Downtown Newnan
• Abundant
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• Business Friendly

• Wi-Fi

6 0 EAST BRO AD STREE T • Catering Kitchen
N E W N A N , G A 30263
• Folding Tables & Chairs
Available On Site
770.251.0207 | w w w.nchsrentals.com • Affordable

www.newnancowetachamber.org • 770.253.2270 57