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BamaWood: Optimism for making movies again on the Gulf Coast (wkrg.com)

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Despite the pandemic, two movies filmed along the Gulf Coast were able to be released within weeks of each other. ‘Our Friend’ that starred Jason Siegel, Dakota Johnson, and Casey Affleck was released last month. It was shot largely in Fairhope before the pandemic started.

‘The Map of Tiny Perfect Things’ was also shot in and around Fairhope. It’s set for release this weekend (January 12th) on Amazon Prime.

Local actress Lindsey Reimann had parts in both movies.

“So, for ‘Our Friend’ I was the stand-in for Dakota Johnson. So I was on the set for the full six weeks of filming,” said Reimann. She is one of the hundreds of local people pursuing careers as actors or film crew, many of who remain out of work because of the covid shutdown.

Suzanne Massingill who owns Barefoot Models and Talent in Mobile says, “Alabama hasn’t had a new film come since March–and the last one was ‘The Map of Tiny Perfect Things’…so they’ve either gone to other cities to work because Atlanta is open and New Orleans is open they’ve gotten another job to support their families.”

By: Bill Riales

Continue Reading at wkrg.com

Savannah’s Georgia Tech campus could soon house a major movie studio. Here’s what we know. (savannahnow.com)

Savannah may be getting a large-scale film studio on the site that currently houses Georgia Tech’s local campus.

At a meeting of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Committee on Real Estate on Tuesday, Sandra Neuse, the University System of Georgia’s vice chancellor for real estate and facilities, presented the board with plans to convert the campus into a major production studio, in partnership with Georgia Film Academy.

The campus, located off Jimmy Deloach Parkway and Interstate 95, houses Georgia Tech’s professional development program. In the presentation, Neuse noted that those courses would be moved to a more centralized location in Savannah.

In the presentation, Neuse said Savannah is a “significant participant in production-related activities in Georgia,” and that the area currently lacks sufficient scalable, purpose-built sound stages and production facilities. 

By: Will Peebles

Continue Reading at savannahnow.com

Bill could provide more than $250M in tax relief for Georgians, exempts PPP loans from state tax (henryherald.com)

(The Center Square) – The Georgia House has advanced a bill that could save taxpayers more than $250 million if it becomes law and would make certain federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans tax exempt.

The measure, House Bill 265, makes an annual update to the state’s revenue code to extend tax deductions for medical expenses, charitable contributions and business meals.

The House passed the measure unanimously Tuesday, and it now heads to the Senate for consideration.

By: Nyamekye Daniel

Continue Reading at henryherald.com

Georgia Firm Bay Point Expands Financing For Local Productions With Kevin Bacon Starrer ‘One Way’; Calls State ‘Hollywood East’ (deadline.com)

Atlanta investment firm Bay Point Advisors is launching a film financing division for productions in state with its first project as senior lender to Andrew Baird’s crime thriller One Way with Kevin Bacon, Travis Fimmel and Colson Baker. One Way is shooting in the southwest Georgia city of Thomasville.

The new division, Bay Point Media, could finance three projects a year going forward with budgets ranging from “a couple of million” to $20 million, said Rob Moran, the actor/producer who oversees the newly launched division with Chandler Rierson. Moran (Me, Myself & Irene, Dumb & Dumber) is a an LA transplant with decades of Hollywood relationships including a career-long collaboration Peter and Bobby Farrelly. He said Bay Point’s broad goal is “to attract intellectual property creators to Georgia – writers, directors, TV show runners, studios and others.”

Moran told Deadline the firm currently has three to four projects in development.

Rierson cited Georgia’s state-of-the-art studios, skilled workforce, diverse landscapes and up to 30% tax incentives as a reason the state “will continue to be valued not just as ‘Hollywood East’ but as its own singular production hub. We are pleased to have our capital serve as a catalyst in the development of media infrastructure, content creation and distribution.”

By: Jill Goldsmith

Continue Reading at deadline.com

Movie shoot boosts local economy in Thomasville (wtxl.com)

THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — South Georgia is getting the Hollywood treatment right now. Big names like Kevin Bacon, Storm Reid, and Machine Gun Kelly are currently filming in Thomasville.

“I get to film in a lot of cool places all over the world, but there’s something really special about being able to come and do it here,” said producer Allen Cheney.

Cheney was born and raised in Thomasville. He’s back now shooting his movie “One Way”.

The movie follows Freddy, played by Colson Baker, more commonly known by his stage name Machine Gun Kelly on the run after a business deal gone wrong. Cheney says the best part about filming a movie at home is getting to share the ins and outs of his job with his loved ones.

“The people I grew up, the family. To be able to bring them here and show them what I do firsthand. It’s really foreign to a lot of people, what’s goes into a movie,” said Cheney.

By: Jada Williams

Continue Reading at wtxl.com