Without federal aid to survive the continued shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the possibility of beloved live music havens shuttering in Georgia and around the country is becoming more of a reality.

“The MPA applauds the work of our global law enforcement partners for putting an end to the piracy operations conducted by SPARKS. As the MPA continues to protect the entertainment industry and the creative works it produces, it is gratifying to see such a strong coordinated effort to dismantle one of the world’s largest piracy enterprises.”

When it comes to high-end cinema cameras, there’s a somewhat different mantra among filmmakers. That it’s better to rent than to buy (in some cases, like with the ARRI Alexa 65, it’s only a rentable camera). Now, obviously there are exceptions.

Atlanta Movie Tours opened in 2012 with the dream of bringing #GeorgiaFilm to life for fans and for 8 years, we have done our best to bring you all of the best in Georgia entertainment. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing staff and partners and our sincerest appreciation goes out to each and every one of you.

SAG-AFTRA, in partnership with 11 other arts and entertainment organizations and unions, today sent a letter to President Donald Trump to request his administration’s help in bringing about much needed reform to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program in regards to mixed earner workers.

Gamers Outreach, an organization that provides recreation to kids in hospitals through video games, is partnering with the Atlanta-based charity fundraising platform Softgiving on a campaign to provide entertainment to families receiving care.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), announced that Ludovic Ortuno, co-founder and chief operating officer for CIDEP, has been selected to direct a team of four other specialists who will continue the state’s international trade representation and support in Canada after a nationwide search.

2020 has been a crazy year for everyone, including the GGDA. From our COVID guidelines to our Unreal Engine grant to our new insurance opportunity to members, we have been adding more ways to help everyone in the Association.

Only 12% of projects were audited in 2016, but even those audits did not uncover about $4 million in ineligible expenditures in eight projects, according to the DOAA. Under the new law, the Department of Revenue will be required to adopt new audit standards and to maintain a list of independent auditors eligible to complete the work.

In continuing the discussion of diversity and inclusion in the media and necessary systemic changes in the industry, the SAG-AFTRA President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach & Engagement presented Race & Storytelling: Asian American Voices on July 21.

The $1.5 billion esports industry, which is largely populated by white men, has few Black faces. That has begun to change over the past month with the formation of a historically Black college and university (HBCU) league on the horizon.

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Mehmet is a director and a cinematographer. He earned an undergraduate degree in Communications Arts and Broadcasting, with a minor in Political Science, from Georgia Southern University.

Lee Thomas, Georgia Trend’s 2019 Georgian of the Year and state Department of Economic Development’s deputy commissioner for film, music and digital entertainment, recently spoke at a meeting of the White Oak Golden K.

While the music industry continues to face unprecedented challenges from the closure of music venues and the reduction in music usage in shops, restaurants and other businesses, there’s a lot to be hopeful about. Music instrument sales have increased.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today designated SoundExchange as the authoritative source of International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) data in the United States.

The title for Saturday morning’s service was the nickname the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave Lewis at their first meeting in 1958 in Montgomery.

The Atlanta-based mogul opens up about how he was able to complete the first quarantine TV production in the U.S., the challenges he faced on set and the advice he’d give to others trying to start up again.

When Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in late-March – providing temporary economic relief for entertainment workers – it was already clear that subsequent COVID-19 legislation would be required in short order to address substantial issues that working people continue to face as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

In the film, television, and streaming industry especially, we understand the importance of how words and stories can challenge our view of society, and how they can make an everlasting impact on our history. Few Americans have changed the course of history like Congressman John Lewis did through his words and actions.

The 2020 Macon Film Festival is on for August and will feature a new documentary about Macon-based piano-player, rock-and-roller, tree-farmer and family-man Chuck Leavell.

While the level of production is not to the level of what it was prior to the shutdown in March, according to the state’s film and television production office, there are currently 13 crews working in various parts of the state.

The deal expands on a pre-existing relationship between Tenderfoot TV and iHeartMedia. The companies teamed up in 2018 to serialize the Atlanta Monster podcast by looking at new high-profile serial killers in each season.

Esports has broken into mainstream media and become a $1 billion industry over the past few years. Leagues have formed around individual games, like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch, attracting six-figure investments that finance teams or individual players.

For the past 50 years, Comic-Con has grown into the Mecca for all things Comics. Collectors, fans, and self-proclaimed geeks, as well as comic-book authors, exhibitors, and TV & movie stars, have all flocked to downtown San Diego to celebrate the 4-day event.

In addition to their recent approval and funding from the City of Savannah for their alternative Savannah-Safe Jazz Festival 2020, Savannah Jazz was awarded a Resiliency Grant by the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA), a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

With nearly 250,000 registered players from all over the world, the event will have the highest number of participants of any DreamHack tournament to date. A total of $1.75 million USD will be awarded, with a prize pool of $250,000 up for grabs every month beginning this weekend, through January 2021.

A 40,000 square foot warehouse in southeast Los Angeles has been hosting concerts throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The stage was created by the same company who built Coachella’s main stage in 2019, the lighting and LED wall are a similar festival quality, and the sound is huge.

Most entertainment workers who found themselves out of work practically overnight in mid-March due to COVID-19 related cancellations across all sectors of the industry are still waiting to safely return to work.

Some people were naturally upset — a number of locals worked behind the scenes, performed background work for various episodes and had a steady flow of income for the multiple months the series made Savannah its home base. Others veered more negative, lamenting their opinion of the poor quality of the show as reason enough to ignore its departure from the NBC lineup.

Home to Tyler Perry’s sprawling film studio, Pinewood’s Atlanta outpost and other production facilities, the Peach State is establishing itself as a pioneer in the industry’s quest to get back to work.

The Executive Director of Los Angeles-based Women in Film – Kirsten Schaffer – was an LGBTQ activist from her early youth. Programming film festivals was a way to channel her energies since she quickly realized that “stories have the power to change hearts and minds, and that cultural change precedes political change”.

NBC has canceled Savannah-filmed “Council of Dads,” with two episodes left in the first season, according to writer and executive producer Joan Rater.

The upcoming esports reality show, GAMEMASTER has announced a partnership with  MakerForce, a grassroots emergency response organization, to expand its efforts in the fight against coronavirus. The partnership will allow both organizations to expand their reach and provide PPE supplies to an even larger network of medical providers in need.

Campus Recreation and Intramurals (CRI) is hosting a virtual intramural esports tournament during Summer Term B for Georgia Southern students and faculty.

The Hollywood Reporter catches up with the onetime Georgia minority leader to talk about her census activism, why being counted matters so much and how her partnership with bold-faced names is helping to increase awareness. Stacey Abrams is on a mission on behalf of the U.S. Census. 

In the coming months, the project will evaluate the entire industry to determine systemic racial inequalities and provide recommendations to address the issues and change the system.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today issued a disappointing decision in SAG-AFTRA’s fight against age discrimination in the entertainment industry.  The Court affirmed a trial court’s earlier decision preventing enforcement of Assembly Bill 1687 (“AB 1687”) as unconstitutional. 

“We’re getting a lot of inquires. In the last month it’s really picked up a lot, and we have had one actual in-person scout come in last week looking to shoot probably toward the end of the summer,” said Beth Nelson, executive director of the Savannah Regional Film Commission. “It was really fun to have somebody here on the ground, looking at our locations.”

Even at the high school level, governing bodies more traditionally focused on sports are testing the waters with e-sports. In Georgia, where I am, the Georgia High School Association has begun their overreach into e-sports.

DreamHack, the premier gaming lifestyle festival, announces the launch of a new tournament series featuring Fortnite.  The series — entitled DreamHack Open Featuring Fortnite — will kick off in July and consists of monthly online tournaments for the EU, NA East, and NA West Fortnite servers through all of 2020, and will be broadcast live on Twitch. 

Kids have had a lot more time on their hands lately, which probably means a number of them have turned to video games to help pass some of it. Their popularity is growing even more, and now, you may start seeing more video games in schools.

After more than 40 years as an actor, Sheri Mann Stewart had finally taken the plunge to launch her own production company. A week after she wrapped shooting her first film for Mann Woman Productions, Atlanta went on pandemic lockdown.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Department of Public Health made the announcement on Wednesday, with L.A. Department of Public Health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer adding that the County Department of Public Health would also release safety guidelines on Thursday for film productions. Gyms, movie theaters, campgrounds, hotels and museums will also receive guidelines and be allowed to open. 

CNN Films has acquired the North American broadcast rights to Mary Wharton’s Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President, a feature rockumentary about the U.S. president’s passion for music, which helped propel him from Georgia to the White House.

Accel Entertainment, Inc., a leading distributed gaming operator, announced that it has agreed to acquire Tom’s Amusement Company, Inc., a Southeastern US amusement operator and Master Licensee in the state of Georgia led by Emily Dunn.

Thanks to their tireless work during this unprecedented pandemic, our industry now has a roadmap that will make it safe for hundreds of thousands of production workers throughout the United States to begin returning to work.

A united music community including top artists, managers, major and independent record companies, songwriters and publishers, and affiliated organizations publicly released a letter supporting the long running campaign to repeal section 50-A of New York’s Civil Rights Law.

We are currently living in an unprecedented era around music creation and touring. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all business has been forced to become remote, making it difficult for artists to maintain their usual level of activity.

When I was in high school, the best way I could describe myself was as a parent’s worst nightmare: I didn’t care about my education, didn’t do homework, and was known to sleep in class. My SAT score was so bad that I still don’t know how I did! My very frustrated mom threw that letter in the trash.

The Motion Picture Association strongly commends the United States Copyright Office for its very thorough report on section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The president of Pinewood Atlanta Studios – one of the largest studio complex outside of Hollywood – told WABE’s “Morning Edition” it’s time to get back to work and resume production. The studio is based in Fayetteville and sits on 700 acres.

Women directors’ fortunes continue to be on the rise, not just in TV but also on film. Despite the shutdown, several have found homes for their work on streaming services. Most of those, including several high budget productions that had a 2020 release date, have been pushed forward to next year. 

Small businesses have always pivoted and always will. For us, at this time, it wasn’t just pivoting, it was twirling, whirling, back-flipping, but we’re ready for you! We appreciate that touring the way we have will take a little longer to get back to, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep you entertained and excited for all the #GeorgiaFilm that has been and will certainly return.

Since mid-March active film and television productions working in the Savannah region were suspended in response to the health and safety orders surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.  As we slowly work to reopen the region to production, our highest priority is the safety of our crew members, talent, vendors, location owners, and others involved in film and television production.