James March-April 2024 online - Flipbook - Page 75
eorgia continues to lead as
the most multilayered economy in the country. While
other states mull over how
to keep pace, Georgia business leaders continue
to innovate on multiple
fronts— life sciences,
fintech, agriculture, renewable energy and the
creative industries. Georgia’s mutual fund of industry
segments has allowed the state to hedge against
inflation and interest rate fluctuations while creating
stable job opportunities for citizens across the state.
Of note, Georgia has a huge lead in the creative industries sector. The state’s growing supportive stance
of art, film, culture, music, game development and
other creative industries has Georgia in an enviable
position. We are in the ready position for the coming
tidal wave of opportunity.
Originally from Leesburg, Georgia and graduating
high school in 1989, I would have never dreamed of
the opportunities in front of us now. Parents of my
generation suppressed the creativity of their children
because jobs were not available, pointing their children to traditional education and careers. I was encouraged to be a lawyer, doctor, accountant or learn
a trade. The creative scene had a perceived negative
stigma, mainly because these careers were nowhere
to be found in Georgia.
Today, there is no more suppression of the creative
mind. Technological advancements have decentralized and deconstructed entertainment and creative
industries. They will never be the same again. Now
there’s opportunity and high paying jobs right here
in Georgia. Parents see this. You see this. There’s no
stopping it. The creative tidal wave is coming.
Guess who’s ready? Georgia! Thanks to our
governors and elected legislators past and present,
we are the most equipped economy in the country to
ride this wave.
In 2023, we recognized the 50th year of Georgia
being in the film industry— the result of Gov. Jimmy
Carter’s creation of the first ever state film commission
in 1973. Fast forward to May 12, 2008 when Gov. Sonny Perdue signed House Bill 1100. This bill, providing
up to a 30 percent tax credit for qualified productions,
catapulted Georgia to the premier place for filmmakers
to produce projects. Adjustments and improvements
during Gov. Nathan Deal’s term and now with the
support of Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia reaps billions of
direct spending year after year that would otherwise
be spent elsewhere.
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