From “The Peach State” to “Y’allywood”: Atlanta's film industry is booming

Georgia is most famously known as “The Peach State”, and lesser so by “The Empire State of the South”. However, Georgia is living up to its newer moniker of “Y’allywood”.

Georgia has seen a great increase in the number of TV, movie, and other media productions filmed throughout the state, over the past several years.  Classics such as “Driving Miss Daisy”, “Fried Green Tomatoes: and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”, plus hundreds of other productions have been filmed in Georgia since 1972. 

The Trilith Community, about 30 minutes south of the World’s Busiest Airport - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - is developing into a well-planned and curated New Purpose-Built Community. In what will soon become the largest movie and soundstage studio complex in America, residential, retail, entertainment, and lodging will combine for a powerhouse development on what was green pastures just a few years ago.

Formerly known as Pinewood Studios, many instant classics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - Black Panther, Ant-Man, The Avengers - have been filmed here and with it, have brought Hollywood Royalty to the once sleepy south Atlanta suburbs.

Georgia implemented and maintains very favorable tax incentives for TV and movie production, and as such, California and Vancouver area productions have flown South. Georgia is blessed with mountains, coastline, cities, historic architecture, picturesque small towns, thus offering ample scenery and background options for productions.

It remains to be seen what the residual effects of this new community will be on the surrounding areas.  However, it’s likely that more attention will be focused on these areas that will lead to tremendous growth.

The bigger question is how planners, elected officials, and the public at large will integrate such a massive new endeavor as seamlessly as possible into the fabric of the existing community.