Written by new-contact on Jan 30, 2015. Posted in On Location

VIP travel firm eyes stars by opening Atlanta office as Georgia filming appeal grows

A VIP travel company is eyeing Hollywood stars by opening a new office in Atlanta. Georgia’s status has grown as a filming hub for big-budget productions partly through a generous filming incentive that’s secured the Hunger Games franchise and the Divergent movies.

The Appointment Group (TAG) specialises in organising VIP travel plans and will be looking to appeal to Hollywood stars and filmmakers travelling to and from Atlanta.

Georgia has had huge success hosting massively popular zombie TV drama The Walking Dead. The Hunger Games franchise switched to Atlanta after filming its first instalment in North Carolina. Reports at the time suggested the producers were attracted partly by Georgia’s tax credit cover for star salaries, which ballooned once the franchise was an established hit.

The production industry in Georgia is based in Atlanta. However, Savannah is also looking to expand its appeal and recently hired an industry veteran to help promote the city.

Almost 160 separate productions spent a record-breaking USD 1.4 billion in Georgia in 2013/14 and Atlanta attracted Marvel's superhero drama Ant-Man.

Civil rights drama Selma has also been a recent success story for Georgia and spent more than USD 10 million filming on location over nearly 100 days.

“The state’s competitive film incentive programme continues to encourage filmmakers to choose Georgia as the place to film, hiring local workers and prompting economic growth,” said Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America.

Georgia’s rapid ascent as a production hub has, however, revealed local crew shortages. The state faces a challenge convincing experienced crew to relocate to Georgia, while also developing effective local training programmes.