How apt that our city’s early leaders chose these seemingly diverse symbols to represent our community. Individually, art and commerce have each been important influencers in our area’s development, but we are now seeing the true power of their potential when combined together.

The Global Commerce Division supported the creation of 28,960 new jobs – generating more than $7.4 billion in investment through the location of 332 projects – while 399 productions filmed in Georgia resulted in a record $2.9 billion invested in the state.

A new semester kicks off at the College of the Arts with several new faculty members in our ranks. Their addition to the Arts family on campus augments a world-class team of practicing professionals who regularly perform, exhibit and present their research at home and abroad.

Headquartered in Belgium, Barco designs technology to enable bright outcomes around the world. Barco is focused on three core markets: enterprise (from meeting and control rooms to corporate spaces), healthcare (from the radiology department to the operating room) and entertainment (from movie theaters to live events and attractions).

It 2 launched in 76 markets this frame, positioning itself as an event film rather than taking the more typical staggered approach that places greater emphasis on reviews and word of mouth.

“I waited maybe six months before I finally said forget this and went back to work with my old employer. It was maybe another five months or so before Cedric called asking me to give it another shot and I basically shot him the middle finger.”

In its first year, the event will launch in partnership with A3C, the annual music, tech & culture festival and conference that draws in over 35,000 attendees each year.

Dr. Jeff Marker, professor and head of the Department of Communication, Media and Journalism (CMJ), explained this year was the first time the Georgia Film Festival only accepted submissions from Georgia and its surrounding states.

Nick Laing, then senior producer on Forza, proved a very popular speaker when he first joined us in 2016. Now senior publishing producer for Amazon Games, he returns to give us even more insights into producing games, working with producers and becoming a producer yourself.

I was born and raised in central Florida where I met my wife Genevieve. I enlisted in the Army as a medic, served for five years, and completed a one-year deployment to Iraq. After the military, I attended SCAD for film and television production while working with local producers on industrial and documentary work.