Georgia film officials and industry groups urge continued support for tax credit, cite statewide economic benefits

Lee Thomas, of the Georgia Film Office, told the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee the state’s incentive program and related workforce initiatives have produced substantial growth in film and television production and a broad vendor base across the state.

“We are one small division of economic development,” Thomas said. She described the film office as a six-person unit within the Georgia Department of Economic Development that handles front-end certification for projects seeking the film tax credit and helps productions find locations, crew and stage space. Thomas said the Department of Revenue performs a “rigorous audit” on the back end to ensure expenditures and vendor qualifications meet program requirements.

Thomas and other speakers credited the tax-credit structure—originally enacted in 2005 and streamlined in 2008—with building a deep crew base and stage infrastructure in Georgia. She said production of shows such as Stranger Things has used more than 40 locations in the state, employed about 2,000 crew members and generated more than 15,600 room nights; the show used 561 vendors across Georgia, Thomas said.

Speakers provided statewide-level numbers to the…