Urbanite The Signal
Vo l . 3 I N o . 0 1
Students at Ge org i a S tate c an exp e ct to se e a n ew G re enway this Fa l l .
Atl a nta’s Fi l m a n d Me di a i n d u str y h a s b e co m e t h e n ew Hol ly wood .
Fre e do m i n co l l e ge c an be c h al l e n g i n g , but i t al so co m es wi t h n ew fo un d resp o nsi bi l i t i es.
Th e rival r y bet we e n Ge o rg i a S tate an d G e o rg ia S o ut h e rn is h e re to stay.
Cover by: Olivia Madrzyk Photo by: Matt Siciliano-Salazar
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News
Opinions
Arts and Living
Sports
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EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Matthew Siciliano-Salazar signaleditor@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR Kenneth Lockett III signalmanagingeditor@gmail.com MARKETING MANAGER Ruth Mang signalmarketingmanager@gmail.com EDITORIAL NEWS EDITOR Vacant signalnewseditor@gmail.com ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Vacant OPINIONS EDITOR Callie McNorton signalopinions@gmail.com ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITOR Vacant ARTS & LIVING EDITOR Deena Kayyali signalliving@gmail.com ASSOCIATE ARTS & LIVING EDITOR Isa Cordona SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Freedman signalsport1@gmail.com ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR Erik Indrisano COPY EDITOR Vacant signalcopyeditor@gmail.com PRODUCTION PRODUCTION EDITOR Evan Koenigs signalprod@gmail.com ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION EDITOR Vacant PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO EDITOR Harry Wyman signalphoto2@gmail.com ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR Vacant DIGITAL DIGITAL EDITOR Caitlin Whisby signalmanaging@gmail.com ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR Franky Haung VIDEO EDITOR Vacant signalvideoeditor@gmail.com ASSOCIATE VIDEO EDITOR Vacant PODCAST EDITOR Vacant ADVERTISING ADVERTISING The deadline for all advertising is 5 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to the desired issue of publication. Ads must be printready and in PDF format; files must be delivered via e-mail at signalmarketingmanager@gmail.com. Please visit our website at www.georgiastatesignal. com/advertise for more information, including rates and payment methods. MISSION STATEMENT The Signal shall provide, in a fair and accurate manner, news of interest and significance to the Georgia State community and serve as a forum for the expression of ideas of members of that community. Furthermore, The Signal shall provide an opportunity for students to pursue experience within a professional newspaper environment. The Signal shall also provide truthful and ethical advertising of interest to the Georgia State community. OFFICE INFORMATION The Signal Student Center West, Suite 250 P.O. Box 3968 Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: 404-413-1620 Fax: 404-413-162
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A Letter From The Editor Students, faculty, and staff; welcome. Here I enclose to you the newly, rebranded, reconstructed, and redesigned, The Urbanite magazine. Welcome, to Georgia State University. My name is Matthew Siciliano-Salazar, and I am the President and Editor-in-Chief with the award-winning news outlet at Georgia State University, The Signal. The Signal can be read online, and paper products can be found at all six Georgia State campuses, all of which are located throughout metro Atlanta. The world knows that you as an individual, can shape for yourself; the future you want. We all know that this is not a simple task. One does not just achieve this without making the proper efforts. The people you meet, the places you go, the thoughts you think, and the energy you create, it is all up to you. When life gets tough, just remember that it will only get better. Plenty of doors are opening for you, and many of the opportunities that life has to offer; have just begun. It is ok to make mistakes because that’s how we learn. Be proud of being young, because becoming a student is one of the best decisions you’ve ever made. No one said that it’d be easy, but that’s what the process is for. We choose Georgia State to learn more about ourselves, and the pathway we wish to achieve. When I first joined college, I was nervous. I had no clue what I wanted to do, and I didn’t know where to begin. I applied and enrolled as a Film major and eventually went on to change to Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Media Entrepreneurship. Being a student at Georgia State University has taught me more about myself than you could ever imagine. It’s ok if you’re unsure what major to choose when joining college. It’s ok to be scared to attend your first on-campus class. It’s ok to question if you’ve joined the right student organization. What’s good, is there is always time. So, take things slow. Make the right decisions and create
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originality. Every day you wake up is another day full of events that are made specifically for you. There are plenty of people that you will meet in this world that will have an impact on your life. Some will have more of an impact than others, and that’s ok; because you’ll eventually learn that everyone is on the same path. We all have the same objective and that is to achieve the greater good. Work together because it will only be beneficial for all of those who are involved. In my first semester, I took Fundamentals of Photography. The professor I met, Phillip Mosier, taught me everything there is to know about the amazing world of creativity. His class was more than book teachings and quizzes. He educated me on everything that I needed to know about photography, film, the media industry, and even; myself. If it wasn’t for the decision to take his class, I would not be the person, nor in the position I am in today. I know that this last year has not been an easy ride for everyone. We’ve all somehow in some way, been able to manage one of the most challenging times in this world’s history. So, before we depart, I leave you with this. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Someone out there is willing to help you. Always think about what you want to achieve for yourself. What you want in life won’t come to you automatically, but you can start right now. Applying yourself every day will only benefit you in the long run. Sooner than later, you’ll realize that it isn’t so hard to attain. The more you think about what you want, and the more you believe that it will happen, the more likely you are to achieve any goal you set for yourself. Some may think I sound crazy, and there are those who think that these goals are unattainable, but with making the proper efforts and making the right judgment, time will bring to you what you wish for.
Meet your new Managing Editor Former Opinions Editor Kenneth Lockett
Hello everyone, for those of you who don’t know me. My name is Kenneth Lockett III and I am the new managing editor for the award-winning newspaper, The Signal at Georgia State. It has been a long two years at the paper, with plenty of ups and downs, but first, allow me to reintroduce myself; my name is HOV. If you don’t get that reference, then I am so very sorry. But if you do that, you are probably from the most fantastic city in the world, New York, much like myself. So yeah yeah, all you southerners can call be a Yankee all you want to, but I’m proud of it. I was born on January 9, 2000, went to a private catholic school throughout my time back home. I briefly went to a public school but, Mama Lockett wasn’t about to play those games. When we moved to Georgia, we moved to Henry County just south of Atlanta, where I have been ever since. I major in Political Science with a double minor in Journalism and Criminal Justice. My goal is to attend law school and keep on keeping on from there. When I’m not doing schoolwork or Journalism work, I’m probably doing work work. I’m a court clerk at the Henry County Magistrate Court, one of the youngest clerks there. And when I’m not doing that, I’m probably playing video games and reading. Yes, some of us do read on a regular basis. Besides that, I’m always listening to music or a podcast or an audiobook. My time at the paper has been the pinnacle of making people mad. As the former Opinions Editor, and writer, I have written things that most journalists would be too scared to write on such a large platform. I’ve written about the war on drugs targets minorities, about how memes perpetuate racial stereotypes, about how it’s time for Georgia State to have a black university president. That was always my goal, to make people uncomfortable. To make people think, to make people say maybe he has a point. If you look around you, the world is falling apart. Climate Change is destroying the earth; politicians are creating policies that put millions of lives in danger and strip them of their fundamental human rights. Social media is numbing people to the sight of tragedy. You can’t even walk down the street without worrying about whether you’ll get shot because of the color of your skin. Women can’t walk to their friend’s house in broad daylight without worrying about if that police officer across the street will walk over and rape them.
And it’s our duty to make the world a better place, anyway that we can. So for me, that’s starting the conversation and using my platform to shed light on racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and overall bigotry. Because if we don’t have these conversations, if we don’t start telling our grandfathers that they can’t make racist and homophobic comments, we will never heal. If we don’t start telling our brothers that catcalling women and sleeping around to ‘conquer’ as many women as possible is not okay we will never heal. Something I will always tell people is that each of us has the power to take the world and flip it upside down. A flood always starts with one raindrop, and hopefully, I’m that one raindrop. If you ask anybody who knows me, they will tell you I have no filter. I will tell you exactly what’s good, and that will often get me in trouble. I’ve been written up many times because I’ve called out authority figures for being frankly trash. But like I said above, it’s time we start having these conversations. A question I am often asked is where do I get my mouth from, my bravery from. That solely comes from the Queen of my life. Mama Lockett doesn’t play games no matter who you are. As a single black mom of two kids, she taught me from a very young age. Trust nobody until they prove themselves to you, and when people show you who they are, believe them the first time. It’s her belief in me that pushes me to go further, to go above what I ever thought I could do. Yeah, she’s annoying, but I would trade the woman for all the money in the whole world. If you have reached the bottom of this lowkey rant, condragulations, you are the winner of… oops wrong closing. But mention it if you ever see me in the streets of Atlanta; I’m always doing something, working on some random project. But I leave you all with this. If you think it, say it. If you want it, do it. If you love it, fight for it. Because in the words of everyone’s favorite problematic drag queen, RuPaul. “If you don’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else!” Make your voice known, your opinions heard. Who knows, you just might be the next person to change the world.
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Urbanite Table of Contents 10 - The New Greenway 12 - Meet The Photo Editor 15 - Events at and around GSU 19 - A Letter to Underclassmen 23 - Perimeter Campuses 26 - Hollywood in Atlanta 29 - SGA President Profile 32 - Keeping HOPE alive 34 - Creative at GSU 36 - Panther Pride 39 - Out at GSU 43 - State not Southern 46 - Beach Vollyball at GSU 49 - Hawks vs Knicks 50 - Hawks Talon Gaming Club
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On Campus: News
Photo by: Stone Ray
Georgia State’s new Greenway reaches the homestretch Written By : Leila Davidson
The long-awaited greenspace for Georgia State is set to open to the public next month.
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eorgia State University has been working on the Greenway project on campus since April 2019 with the demolition of Kell Hall. Kell Hall was an interesting and historic building on campus. In 1945, George Sparks, the Georgia State Director, then called the Atlanta Extension Center of the University System of Georgia, transformed a six-story parking garage on Peachtree Center Ave into a campus building with classrooms and offices known as Kell Hall. Kell Hall has been at the heart of the Atlanta campus for more than 75 years. Many students and faculty were sad to see it go, but many are excited for the new age of the Downtown Campus. The Greenway is an exciting innovation by Georgia State to bring green space to Downtown Atlanta, something there isn’t much of in the area. Many students can find it hard to find a green space to study or hang out with friends on the Downtown campus. The Greenway is designed to be a communal walkway for pedestrians throughout Downtown Atlanta, replacing the dull concrete walls with lush greenery. In addition, the Greenway links multiple university buildings together via staircases and the walkway to stretch from Collins Street to Peachtree Center Avenue. The plans for the new Greenway show a connecting walkway from Woodruff Park to the courtyard at Petit Science Center. Though the finishing date for the new Greenway has been delayed numerous times, it is now estimated that the Greenway will be completed in June 2021, as the project is entering the final stages. In addition, the renovations to the
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Library Plaza are estimated to be completed within the same time as the Greenway. The Library Plaza renovations include a new ground-level entrance to Library North and a new rooftop terrace. The new entrance features a dramatic glass facade facing into the Greenway with shared space, study pods, a grand staircase, and two elevators for accessibility. The terrace will debut in June with outdoor tables & chairs and beautiful landscaping beds,” says Georgia State University Library on their Library Reimagined webpage. Along with the Greenway and renovations to Libary North, the university has planned renovations to Hurt Park and has broken ground on a new student convocation center. Renovations to Hurt Park include repaved walkways, a repaired water fountain and an increase in security patrols. The new student convocation center is set to be an $85.2-million project for the university. “Announced in 2018, the convocation center will provide indoor space for various large gatherings, including commencements and indoor concerts. It will also be the new home of Panthers basketball,” says Andrea Jones, Assistant Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing, in a story on the Georgia State News Hub. The Greenway has been discussed since 2013, but its long-awaited completion is finally here. In the heart of the Downtown campus, there will be a new green space for students to enjoy and find a sense of peace and quiet within the chaos of Downtown Atlanta. The Greenway is an exciting new project that will give students a fresh take on on-campus life with welcoming greenery and beautiful open spaces.
Photos by Stone Ray and Harry Wyman, Page Layout by Evan Koenigs
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Photos by Harry Wyman and Page Layout by Evan Koenigs
THIS IS
Dear Class of 2025 and readers of The Signal, My name is Harry Wyman, and I am a BFA Studio major here at Georgia State University. I recently began my position as Managing Photo Editor of The Signal. Photography has been my passion for as long as I can remember. It allows me to see things differently while also connecting me to the plethora of creatives here at Georgia State and the greater Atlanta Area. Six months ago, I started at The Signal, and I immediately knew that this was a fantastic opportunity and place to work. I had never worked with a publication and wanted to expand my knowledge of using photography within a different setting. Matt, the new Editor in Chief, accepted me to the photo team and created an environment of encouragement and community. In this final year of my undergraduate education, I hope to bring together the two spheres that I inhabit here at Georgia State; the fine arts program and the publishing world. Art, in my opinion, does not have to be limited to the gallery or museum but can move between many different aspects of life, giving perspectives that enhance the readers’ experience. Atlanta has become a hub for artists from multiple disciplines, grappling with topics from social inequality to the success and failure of Atlanta’s many professional sports teams. The division between fine art and editorial art is something that I look to challenge with my work, and I hope to bring that to The Signal in the coming year. Sincerely, Harry Wyman BFA Studio Photo Editor | The Signal
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Georgia State
On and Near Camus Events Summer 2021
June June 21 Virtual Summer Camp- Fortnite Stle Game Design for 8th-12th graders June 23 Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx June 24 Strawberry Moon Farmers Jam June 25 2020 Glover Park Concert Series June 26 10th Annual Suwanee Beer Fest June 27 Atlanta United FC vs New York Red Bulls June 29 Atlanta United vs New York Liberty June 30 Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets
Page Layout by Evan Koenigs
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July July 02 Freddie Gibbs The Wiltern Livestream Series July 03 Moonlight Movies & Wine Tastings (Independence Day) July 08 Worlds of Puppetry Museum, The Masked Singer National Tour July 09 Circus Vasquez July 10 Remember When Rock Was Young The Elton John Tribute at Mable House Barnes Amphitheatere July 17 Reptile Day at Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash July 21 Atlanta Braves vs San Diego Padres July 24 Brad Paisley Tour 2021 at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre July 27 Dave Matthews Band at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre July 31 Desi Banks: Live at Buckhead Theatre
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“There is always something to do in Atlanta”
August August 07 Kings of Leon at Cellairis Amphitheatere at Lakewood August 08 Korn & Staind at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre August 10 Louis the Child at Coca-Cola Roxy August 13 Blink 182 vs Weezer at The Masquerade August 21 Jason Aldean, Hardy & Lainey Wilson at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood August 29 Kiss at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
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In Opinions: An open letter to underclassmen Written By: Alyssia Hardge
Illustrations and Page Layout by Adam Montes and Evan Koenigs
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Many second-year students worry about getting the college experience they missed out on.
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y last real memory from high school is sitting in the orchestra office at 8 a.m. along with my fellow seniors discussing our end-of-the-year plans, such as our spring concert, attendance, and cords. Little did we realize, this was our last senior orchestra meeting. On March 13, 2020, many high school seniors stepped foot out of their schools for the last time. I was one of them. We lost so many end-of-the-year experiences. My prom was the week after our “extended” spring break was announced. So many students didn’t get to walk across the stage, say goodbye to their favorite teachers or their underclassmen friends. Most importantly, we didn’t get to say goodbye to our childhood. Finishing a significant milestone during times when we couldn’t even see our support systems in person, smiling, screaming our names while we walked across the stage shaking the hands of faculty members who watched us grow into these young adults, will forever change the class of 2020. My 19th birthday is just around the corner, and I was discussing plans with one of my old high school friends, saying, “It’s hard trying to
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be an adult when I don’t even know who I am and who I want to be.” Many upcoming second-year students are holding on to the childhood they didn’t get to say goodbye to. You watch other graduating classes walk across the stage; they have a million parties, they go off the college, they find themselves. It’s hard to find yourself when you’re looking at the same four walls of your college dorm, listening to the fourth zoom lecture of the day. We didn’t get to experience those things. Senior year is supposed to be when students look forward to all the fun activities they can do. You look forward to the end of your journey because that is when you are genuinely rewarded for all your hard work. Unfortunately, while we got party city balloons to drive through and free doughnuts, we never got those final moments back. However, the majority of the class of 2021, a.k.a. the incoming freshman, did. You can scroll on Tik Tok and see them make prom and graduating videos. You see them realize their high school experience is over. That realization is something that sets us apart.
They get in-person new student orientations; we got a Webex meeting with classmates we couldn’t even see. I am a little jealous. I am happy for them. They got through basically a year and a half of online high school. I barely got through a semester. The topic of “who had it worse, class of 2020 or 2021” is something that seems like a joke. People lost their loved ones, jobs, and lives during this time, and some people made it a competition. We all lost—no winners. Experiences, memories, everything changed. The question now is, what do we do now? For this upcoming Fall semester, Georgia State announced on May 18, 2021, that “Students are expected to return to their traditional educational arrangement beginning fall semester. As a result, campus events, activities and facilities, including university housing, will be at full capacity in the fall.” While this is exciting for most students, many second years thought otherwise. Sophomore Emma Sullivian discussed with me her plans for the upcoming school year, “I registered for all online classes. The thought of being in a classroom with people after a year of online school is scary.” Sullivian isn’t the only student with this
plan. Students are worried about how they will perform in classroom settings after looking at a screen all year and adjusting to normal school activities. This fall will have more student events, possibly fully occupied sporting events, and homecoming. Many students never experienced these college events, like me. While I’m in my second year at Georgia State, it will be like I’m a freshman all over again, and it’s not just me. We were all students when this pandemic started; we lost some crucial moments in our lives. As a university, we need to come together. This upcoming school year is going to be like no other. We are now in what many are calling the “post-pandemic stage.” Things are back to normal, while some things are becoming the new normal. Vaccinations are being distributed; families are getting back together. Friends are reuniting. While you can go back to college whenever you want, you only get some of these experiences once. So let’s not waste it worrying. These four years are going by faster than we know.
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Georgia State Perimeter Campuses deserves recognition Written By: Gabby Miller The underrepresented five perimeter college campuses
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hen thinking about Georgia State, you probably think of the campus in Downtown Atlanta. However, many who have never heard of Georgia State would not have heard about the five campuses of the Perimeter College. That’s right, Georgia State has five other campuses that focus on getting your associate’s degree. Each with their own unique culture; Alpharetta, Clarkston, Decatur, Dunwoody, and Newton each bring something to the table. Some people may consider attending these campuses just to get their first two years done at a cheaper cost than a four-year college would have. The first two years of college are just the basic core classes english, math, history, and some science classes. Instead of paying a higher price to get these classes out of the way, a student could get the courses with half the cost. Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter College consolidated in 2016, which made Georgia State one of the largest universities in the nation.
Photos by Harry Wyman and Page Layout by Evan Koenigs 23 I Summer 21
Alpharetta Campus:
The Alpharetta Campus offers courses that include all academic areas, including 2000-level classes. Out of all of the campuses, Alpharetta is the most popular for students going into business and dual enrollment. Dual enrollment means that the college allows high school students to attend college classes simultaneously. If you are interested in the STEM field, this campus has a strong STEM program. This campus has a lot to offer when it comes to the STEM program. It provides physics, biology, astronomy, chemistry, upper-level mathematics, and computer science classes and labs. This campus even has a multi-million-dollar wing for chemistry and biology labs. They prepare students for work in Alpharetta and North Fulton, a growing science and technology industry. Students who desire to get into the STEM field find a welcome place at this campus due to the different STEM classes Alpharetta offers.
Clarkston Campus: The Clarkston campus is the most culturally diverse in the University System of Georgia and is one of the most culturally diverse areas in the entire US. The campus has students that are from more than 150 different countries. The Clarkston campus is part of the neighborhood which means this campus is the center of all the perimeter campuses for their Community Engagement. This brings together Georgia State’s Perimeter College School of Public Health, College of Education and human development, and Community Stakeholders to address health, education, social, and other issues affecting the large immigrant community. There is a thriving art community at this campus. They provide a rich array of events for its surrounding community by having exhibits, concerts, theatrical production, and other programs open to the public. Clarkston has a standout nursing prep program; Georgia State’s registered nurse associate degree program housed on the Clarkston campus enjoys a solid reputation for preparing graduates to work in the high-demand nursing field. Like the Alpharetta campus, Clarkston also has a robust STEM program. STEM pathways are a strong suit for this campus. The engineering pathway started on the campus and it offers the “Regents’ Engineering Pathway” program. This program enables students to compete for two years at Perimeter College and then they could transfer to an engineering program within the University System. In addition, this campus has a Student Success Booster, thanks to the partnership with State Farm. This gives students an early start at college success at the Clarkston Campus.
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Decatur Campus: The Decatur Campus offers a program called The Georgia LIFT (Learning Income and Family Transformation). This program aims to make a difference in the lives of the students and the South Dekalb Residents. State Farm sponsors LIFT. Because of the sponsor, LIFT is a multi-million-dollar initiative that allows first-generation students to graduate from college, build leadership skills, and engage with their community. This campus also offers a program called Lesson from the Garden; this is a community garden where students, faculty, staff, and residents maintain a Community Campus Garden. This garden is an educational tool for students who plant and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs to benefit local nonprofits and campus neighbors in need of fresh produce. Each year, the 9,000 square feet garden yields 1,000 pounds of food in the garden. This helps students learn the practical applications of concepts from science, business, and humanity courses. This campus further offers Education Without Walls; this is a Georgia State Prison Education Project (GSUPEP). This provides educational enrichment and college-credit courses for people incarcerated at state and federal prisons in Georgia. This is a non-partisan volunteer project aimed at supporting reentry into society. Reducing recidivism is funded by private donations and administered through the GSUPEP office at the Decatur Campus.
Dunwoody Campus: At the Dunwoody Campus, Georgia State provides superior clinical training. Students in the Dunwoody campus’ dental hygiene pathway provide free and low-cost dental services to underserved communities throughout the state. They partner locally with elementary schools to give hundreds of screenings, cleanings, sealants, and dental counseling. Since 2012, this program has maintained a 98% first-time-pass rate for students taking the practical and written exams required to practice dental hygiene. Dunwoody Campus provides international connections by the Confucius Institute, enabling students to take classes from native Chinese speakers and educators. In this award-winning one-of-a-kind program, this institute serves as a bridge of understanding for business communities in metro Atlanta, the state of Georgia, surrounding areas and fosters commerce and trade relations with China. Thanks to the partnership with State Farm, the Dunwoody campus offers Perimeter Academy, a three-semester extendedlearning community packed with support services. This helps new students succeed in their first year of college.
Newton Campus: At the Newton Campus, the faculty and staff initiate the Newton Academic Community Engagement Project. This program bridges students into learning and involving themselves with the community needs of the Perimeter area. For example, the students partner up with groups like the Newton County Health Department or the Habitat for Humanity to address voter education, literacy, criminal justice, mental health, or disparities, among other issues. The Newton campus also has an event called Daffodils and Dialogue. This is a spring event in time for the daffodils to bloom in which slaves have planted back in the 1800s. The Daffodil festival features faculty lectures and presentations from business, civic community leaders according to the history of the local bulbs. Another program this campus has to offer is called Learning Through Outreach. Newton faculty, staff, and students regularly partner with the Newton County Historic Cemetery to clean up the county’s abandoned private cemeteries. Students help remove trash from African American and Slave burial sites while learning the importance of preserving Newton County history. 25 I Summer 21
The Hollywood of the South How Atlanta has become the film capital of the south
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or years Hollywood has been known as the beloved city of the film industry, producing thousands of new films every year. A place where aspiring actors, directors, and producers come to chase remarkable dreams. It has long been an American staple in history. However, as all things evolve globally, so has the film industry’s location within the past decade. With great surprise, Atlanta has taken over as the film capital of the United States, with over 150 films being produced just this last year. On the other hand, industry specialists were not very surprised at Georgia being the new film hub, with state laws being a significant aspect of their budget plans. The boom in film production within Georgia started in 2008 when the state began offering tax incentives for movie properties. These tax incentives combined with temperate climate changes and an array of different geographic locations allowed Georgia to surpass California as the country’s most significant movie production state back in 2018. With major studios like Marvel filming most of their projects in Atlanta, the city brings in almost 10 billion dollars of revenue from their films each year. This number is staggering compared to the 200 million reported before the tax incentive was set in place. This massive dividend shift has caused production studios to relocate
Written By: Dorian Rosenburg
from California to Georgia, abandoning California as a probable location. Georgia has also seemed to reinvent itself as a film state by personally creating business relationships with studios. Two of Atlanta’s most notable projects, Marvel Studios and “The Hunger Games,” were established through the state reaching out to production companies first. Unfortunately, these pitches were also around the same time as a sudden drop in the economy, warranting cheaper alternatives for filming locations. However, with cheaper substitutes comes some form of return for Georgia. This payback comes in the form of logos on projects filmed in Georgia. For a production to be filmed in Georgia under the state’s tax credits, the project needs to provide a Georgia promotional aspect to the media stunt. A great example of this is the peach logo that voices “made in Georgia.” This brings awareness and potentially more revenue to the state through current projects. One of the significant advantages of Atlanta and why the city has so many projects being filmed here right now is the variety of landscapes the entire state has to offer. Some of the recent projects include “Spiderman: No Way Home,” “The Goonies,” “Ozark,” and “Dynasty.” Although production has slowed down in many states due to the pandemic, Georgia seems to be almost at the whole production level as the vaccine starts to roll out and studios become more lenient with protocols.
Photos by Harry Wyman and Page Layout by Evan Koenigs 26 I The Urbanite
Back in 2019, the film industry in Georgia underwent a bit of heat during the anti-abortion bill tactics. Major Hollywood studios threatened to stop filming in Georgia if the bill was passed, creating much chaos within Georgia’s most lucrative industry. The anti-abortion law states that no baby can be aborted if the fetus has a heartbeat, which can be detected at as little as six weeks. Netflix has recently said that if the bill is not overturned, serious decisions will be made considering the fate of their projects in Georgia. It is genuinely fascinating to live in a state where the
entertainment industry unfolds before citizens’ eyes. Attending college in the city also provides students with a plethora of opportunities within the industry, allowing more underrepresented groups the chance to make it big without traveling across the country. Spaces like The Tyler Perry Studios are fighting to provide more ample opportunities, giving rise to America’s next generation of Oscar winners. Georgia is soon on its way to becoming the most lucrative asset in the film industry, with the state’s traditional ideals being its potential downfall.
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