Are Georgia's Politics Pushing Creators Away?
Georgia's hefty tax credits ($925 Million from 2009-14) have made the Peach State seemingly irresistible to film and television producers. The state ranked third in the nation for film and television production, and those productions spent over $2.5 Billion there between 2016-17. Although those credits remain available, other political considerations seem to be turning producers off:
The Georgia Legislature's bill to curb the ability of same-sex couples to adopt children runs far afoul of the film and television community's inclusionary sympathies. This followed closely on the heels of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle running to the defense of the NRA by promising to block a tax credit that would have benefited Delta after the airline announced they would no longer offer discount to the gun club's members. The bad news for Atlanta is that it seems to be affecting their bottom line. Last year, the city was the hottest destination for TV's top dramatic auteurs. Seven different hour-long drama pilots were shot there in 2017, and it seemed to signal that the city was continuing its assent up the charts that began with AMC's smash-hit "The Walking Dead" in 2010. In 2018, however, that number crumpled to two.
It appears as though a line in the sand has been drawn, and Atlanta will serve as a major battleground in the social justice war. Now it just remains to be seen who will win, and at what cost.
Sources:
http://deadline.com/2018/03/tv-pilot-locations-2018-new-york-los-angeles-rankings-1202311512/ (Accessed 3/9/18)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/gay-adoption-georgia-georgia-law-marriage-vote-allow-discrimination-lgbt-a8229821.html (Accessed 3/9/18)