Volume 1, Issue 3 |
| Bill Thompson |
| Volume 1, Issue 5 |
| Bill Thompson, Deputy Commissioner of Georgia's Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Div. |
It’s no secret in the film, TV, and gaming industries that the Georgia Entertainment Industry
Investment Act, signed in by the state’s governor, was revolutionary. Offering up to 30% in rebates,
the tax incentives being offered are among the easiest to understand and is well worth being
taken advantage of.
I Am Entertainment Magazine sat down with Bill Thompson, the Deputy Commissioner of Georgia’s
Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Division, and his colleague Stefanie Paupeck to discuss his
state’s amazing tax incentive and how it has helped such productions as the Oscar Nominated film
‘The Blind Side,’ successful impact the industry.
IAE: Where are you from and what got you interested in entertainment?
BILL: I was born in Washington D.C., and lived in Northern Virginia for about 3 years. Then my parents
decided to move to Atlanta, where I’ve lived since then. Early on, my love for photography and music led me to
playing drums in various rock bands and doing photography on the side. This was back when I could walk right
into what is now the Philips Arena, with eight cameras around my neck and shoot anything I wanted [laughs]. I
was exposed to black & white video production when I was a Senior in high school. When I got to college I
entered the Communications program and got very involved in Video Production, as well as taking part in the
Cinema Program the school offered. I had always wondered why I had this inclination to be involved in the arts,
and later found out that one of my grandfathers was an amateur photographer who had his own darkroom with
processing and printing equipment; one of my uncles was an amateur filmmaker when 16mm film first came
out; and another uncle was a an amateur photographer. My brother is an artist and I have a cousin who was a
filmmaker and went to film school. During my college years I was working parttime in the industry and I said to
myself, “This is the only thing that I’m going to do from now on; something that is Film or Television related.” At
that point, I shed myself from all other distractions and that’s when everything started to fall into place. I would
advise anyone to take that approach if they can. I received my Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from
Georgia State University in Film & TV Production.
IAE: What was your first job in the entertainment industry and how did that come about?
BILL: Fortunately, I’ve never worked in any other industry. My first real job was running an in-house TV
production operation at Georgia State University. We had a small studio, cameras and an edit suite. I worked
at a couple of large production companies in Atlanta, including a company called Threshold Productions, and I
worked for 14 years at Crawford Communications, where I designed and ran the Production Services operation
and later was Vice-President of Post Production. I’ve also owned a film & video production company and have
worked as a production manager and independent producer. My career has taken me to 20+ countries; which
was great by the way [laughs], and I’ve had a pretty long run in this industry. I’ve been with the Georgia Film,
Music & Digital Entertainment Office for about 4 years now.
IAE: As the Deputy Commissioner of Georgia’s Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Division, what
do you do?
BILL: Our mission at the Georgia Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Office is to attract entertainment
productions to Georgia, as well as bricks and mortar entertainment companies to locate in our state. We’re
trying to build an industry here and continue to expand our workforce and increase our infrastructure. We’ve
seen some 30 companies locate or expand in Georgia because of the incentives.These are all new or
indigenous supply chain companies, production companies and vendors. There’s been a fair amount of
interest in increasing our studio infrastructure here which is the next natural progression, and we are seeing
studio expansions and studio development starting to take place. We have 2 full time location scouts in our
office and we offer that service for free to our customers. A major portion of what we do starts with them. We
create business opportunities via marketing, business development, telephone & email contact, and face to
face meetings with producers and potential customers. Folks who are seriously considering Georgia as an
option for their productions will then schedule a visit to see what kind of locations and resources we have
available. We have the ability to send electronic location packages to prospects and customers. One of our
location scouts will usually spend the whole time with our customers while they are on the ground.
IAE: Atlanta has been known for its success in TV and Music, but as a result of the Georgia Tax
Incentive, the entire state has become one of the top places for film productions to shoot. Tell us
about the Tax Incentive and what are the benefits for filmmakers who want to shoot in Georgia?
BILL: First of all, we think Georgia’s Tax Incentives are the easiest incentives to use in the country. Quite a few
states, for various reasons, often have limitations on things that make them not quite as attractive. Georgia’s
attitude is “bring it on!” There are no caps on how much money a project can spend and no caps on how many
tax credits can be issued. Local crews and crew members from outside the state are all treated the same while
working in Georgia. For talent who are paid via 1099, or as a loan out, there’s no cap on how much the talent
can earn in our state. Our incentives are extremely competitive and we feel very good about our 30% Tax
Incentive, with no intentions to raise that percentage. There is a 20% base tax credit and then if the customer
will place a Georgia promotional logo in the finished production, an additional 10% uplift is provided.
The incentives apply to feature films, indy features, television productions, commercials, music videos and
video games. The industry also impacts tourism in Georgia. For instance, when the Miley Cyrus film ‘The Last
Song’ was shot on Tybee Island in Savannah, the production used 12,000 hotel nights over the entire filming
period. Those hotels were full for 3 months. The phenomenon called “Film Induced Tourism” is a huge industry
in Georgia as well.
IAE: What are some of the film and TV projects we can expect to see shooting in Georgia this year?
BILL: A Warner Brothers movie, in association with the Farrelly Brothers, called ‘Hall Pass’ began production in
February and wrapped in April. Owen Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Alyssa Milano, and Christina Applegate star in
that film. There’s an independent movie called ‘96 Minutes’ that will be filming here starting in mid May. ‘The
Fast and Furious 5’ will be shooting here for several months this summer and ‘Big Momma’s House 3,’ starring
Martin Lawrence, is currently in production. Tyler Perry’s ‘For Colored Girls….’ will start production soon, and
‘Madea’s Big Happy Family’ will begin production later this year (2010). In terms of TV series, we have ‘The
Vampire Diaries’, the number one show on the CW Network and about to start production for season two, and
‘Drop Dead Diva’, a Sony production that is now in production of its’ second season in Georgia. Another show
that is currently in production is called “The Walking Dead” which will initially produce a pilot and five episodes.
We had some really good pilots that were shot in Atlanta recently including ‘Franklin and Bash’ for TBS,
‘Detroit 187’ for ABC, ‘Teen Wolf’ for MTV, and ‘Single Girls’ for VH1. We have over 20 film and television
projects in the pipeline, with many more to come, that will include some very high profile productions.
IAE: Many people believe that there is a possibility that our “Right to Work” status could be causing
our lack of being able to secure lead roles for Georgia actors in major film and TV projects. Are
there any plans to change the union status of Georgia as it relates to TV and Film?
BILL: I think the “Right-to-Work” legislation was put into place a long time ago and probably needs to be
examined to see if any changes should be made. As far as the film industry goes, what it means is that workers
may not be compelled to join any labor organization or guild and should have the right to work if they choose
to do so. The legislation protects their right to work. On the flip side of that, there are a lot of good benefits to
being a Screen Actors Guild or labor union member because it makes customers feel more at ease when the
work force is better trained and has been through certain qualifying steps. There are lots of productions that
get made which are totally non-union, low budget projects, and that’s what right-to-work protects.
IAE: If you could change anything about the entertainment business, what would it be and why?
BILL: I’m extremely happy with the success we are having here in Georgia. The music industry is phenomenal,
and it employs over 9,500 people. The video game industry here is something that we are nurturing and
seeing very good results. And,of course, the Film & TV industry is reaping record breaking levels of production
unlike anything we’ve seen before. I wouldn’t change much that we have going on in Georgia right now
because I think we’re on the right track. We are building an industry here. Certainly, we need to continue to
develop our program, but we have come a long way since 2005. But overall, Georgia’s looking like the place to
be. We are definitely number one in the Southeast and among the Top Three states in the country for all
forms of entertainment production. We had productions in over 50 Georgia counties last year, with 26 feature
films produced in the state in the last year. Investment topped over $770 million dollars in CY 2009. Our
customers love working in Georgia and have commented about the quality of our workforce and the great
experience they have had in our state.
Investment Act, signed in by the state’s governor, was revolutionary. Offering up to 30% in rebates,
the tax incentives being offered are among the easiest to understand and is well worth being
taken advantage of.
I Am Entertainment Magazine sat down with Bill Thompson, the Deputy Commissioner of Georgia’s
Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Division, and his colleague Stefanie Paupeck to discuss his
state’s amazing tax incentive and how it has helped such productions as the Oscar Nominated film
‘The Blind Side,’ successful impact the industry.
IAE: Where are you from and what got you interested in entertainment?
BILL: I was born in Washington D.C., and lived in Northern Virginia for about 3 years. Then my parents
decided to move to Atlanta, where I’ve lived since then. Early on, my love for photography and music led me to
playing drums in various rock bands and doing photography on the side. This was back when I could walk right
into what is now the Philips Arena, with eight cameras around my neck and shoot anything I wanted [laughs]. I
was exposed to black & white video production when I was a Senior in high school. When I got to college I
entered the Communications program and got very involved in Video Production, as well as taking part in the
Cinema Program the school offered. I had always wondered why I had this inclination to be involved in the arts,
and later found out that one of my grandfathers was an amateur photographer who had his own darkroom with
processing and printing equipment; one of my uncles was an amateur filmmaker when 16mm film first came
out; and another uncle was a an amateur photographer. My brother is an artist and I have a cousin who was a
filmmaker and went to film school. During my college years I was working parttime in the industry and I said to
myself, “This is the only thing that I’m going to do from now on; something that is Film or Television related.” At
that point, I shed myself from all other distractions and that’s when everything started to fall into place. I would
advise anyone to take that approach if they can. I received my Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from
Georgia State University in Film & TV Production.
IAE: What was your first job in the entertainment industry and how did that come about?
BILL: Fortunately, I’ve never worked in any other industry. My first real job was running an in-house TV
production operation at Georgia State University. We had a small studio, cameras and an edit suite. I worked
at a couple of large production companies in Atlanta, including a company called Threshold Productions, and I
worked for 14 years at Crawford Communications, where I designed and ran the Production Services operation
and later was Vice-President of Post Production. I’ve also owned a film & video production company and have
worked as a production manager and independent producer. My career has taken me to 20+ countries; which
was great by the way [laughs], and I’ve had a pretty long run in this industry. I’ve been with the Georgia Film,
Music & Digital Entertainment Office for about 4 years now.
IAE: As the Deputy Commissioner of Georgia’s Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Division, what
do you do?
BILL: Our mission at the Georgia Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Office is to attract entertainment
productions to Georgia, as well as bricks and mortar entertainment companies to locate in our state. We’re
trying to build an industry here and continue to expand our workforce and increase our infrastructure. We’ve
seen some 30 companies locate or expand in Georgia because of the incentives.These are all new or
indigenous supply chain companies, production companies and vendors. There’s been a fair amount of
interest in increasing our studio infrastructure here which is the next natural progression, and we are seeing
studio expansions and studio development starting to take place. We have 2 full time location scouts in our
office and we offer that service for free to our customers. A major portion of what we do starts with them. We
create business opportunities via marketing, business development, telephone & email contact, and face to
face meetings with producers and potential customers. Folks who are seriously considering Georgia as an
option for their productions will then schedule a visit to see what kind of locations and resources we have
available. We have the ability to send electronic location packages to prospects and customers. One of our
location scouts will usually spend the whole time with our customers while they are on the ground.
IAE: Atlanta has been known for its success in TV and Music, but as a result of the Georgia Tax
Incentive, the entire state has become one of the top places for film productions to shoot. Tell us
about the Tax Incentive and what are the benefits for filmmakers who want to shoot in Georgia?
BILL: First of all, we think Georgia’s Tax Incentives are the easiest incentives to use in the country. Quite a few
states, for various reasons, often have limitations on things that make them not quite as attractive. Georgia’s
attitude is “bring it on!” There are no caps on how much money a project can spend and no caps on how many
tax credits can be issued. Local crews and crew members from outside the state are all treated the same while
working in Georgia. For talent who are paid via 1099, or as a loan out, there’s no cap on how much the talent
can earn in our state. Our incentives are extremely competitive and we feel very good about our 30% Tax
Incentive, with no intentions to raise that percentage. There is a 20% base tax credit and then if the customer
will place a Georgia promotional logo in the finished production, an additional 10% uplift is provided.
The incentives apply to feature films, indy features, television productions, commercials, music videos and
video games. The industry also impacts tourism in Georgia. For instance, when the Miley Cyrus film ‘The Last
Song’ was shot on Tybee Island in Savannah, the production used 12,000 hotel nights over the entire filming
period. Those hotels were full for 3 months. The phenomenon called “Film Induced Tourism” is a huge industry
in Georgia as well.
IAE: What are some of the film and TV projects we can expect to see shooting in Georgia this year?
BILL: A Warner Brothers movie, in association with the Farrelly Brothers, called ‘Hall Pass’ began production in
February and wrapped in April. Owen Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Alyssa Milano, and Christina Applegate star in
that film. There’s an independent movie called ‘96 Minutes’ that will be filming here starting in mid May. ‘The
Fast and Furious 5’ will be shooting here for several months this summer and ‘Big Momma’s House 3,’ starring
Martin Lawrence, is currently in production. Tyler Perry’s ‘For Colored Girls….’ will start production soon, and
‘Madea’s Big Happy Family’ will begin production later this year (2010). In terms of TV series, we have ‘The
Vampire Diaries’, the number one show on the CW Network and about to start production for season two, and
‘Drop Dead Diva’, a Sony production that is now in production of its’ second season in Georgia. Another show
that is currently in production is called “The Walking Dead” which will initially produce a pilot and five episodes.
We had some really good pilots that were shot in Atlanta recently including ‘Franklin and Bash’ for TBS,
‘Detroit 187’ for ABC, ‘Teen Wolf’ for MTV, and ‘Single Girls’ for VH1. We have over 20 film and television
projects in the pipeline, with many more to come, that will include some very high profile productions.
IAE: Many people believe that there is a possibility that our “Right to Work” status could be causing
our lack of being able to secure lead roles for Georgia actors in major film and TV projects. Are
there any plans to change the union status of Georgia as it relates to TV and Film?
BILL: I think the “Right-to-Work” legislation was put into place a long time ago and probably needs to be
examined to see if any changes should be made. As far as the film industry goes, what it means is that workers
may not be compelled to join any labor organization or guild and should have the right to work if they choose
to do so. The legislation protects their right to work. On the flip side of that, there are a lot of good benefits to
being a Screen Actors Guild or labor union member because it makes customers feel more at ease when the
work force is better trained and has been through certain qualifying steps. There are lots of productions that
get made which are totally non-union, low budget projects, and that’s what right-to-work protects.
IAE: If you could change anything about the entertainment business, what would it be and why?
BILL: I’m extremely happy with the success we are having here in Georgia. The music industry is phenomenal,
and it employs over 9,500 people. The video game industry here is something that we are nurturing and
seeing very good results. And,of course, the Film & TV industry is reaping record breaking levels of production
unlike anything we’ve seen before. I wouldn’t change much that we have going on in Georgia right now
because I think we’re on the right track. We are building an industry here. Certainly, we need to continue to
develop our program, but we have come a long way since 2005. But overall, Georgia’s looking like the place to
be. We are definitely number one in the Southeast and among the Top Three states in the country for all
forms of entertainment production. We had productions in over 50 Georgia counties last year, with 26 feature
films produced in the state in the last year. Investment topped over $770 million dollars in CY 2009. Our
customers love working in Georgia and have commented about the quality of our workforce and the great
experience they have had in our state.
| Please contact the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office at 404-962-4052 or email at film@georgia.org |
Copyright © 2009-2011 I Am Entertainment Magazine, a publication of NFluential Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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