Two years ago, crowds gathered along Clayton Street to get a peek at Justin Timberlake during filming of the Hollywood production Trouble with the Curve. The town was abuzz with stories of locals filling in as extras and the money spent by the crew as they made Athens home for a month.

And, like many who get a taste of Hollywood’s glamor, suddenly Athens realized it wanted more. We just may get our wish.

Thanks to a generous state tax credit—20 percent, plus an additional 10 percent if a production includes the Georgia logo and a link to the state’s film office—the state is seeing an explosion of film production. This tax credit is cited not only by economic development professionals, but also by local filmmakers who have seen more work come to the state in general. 

Last year alone saw 142 feature film and television projects take place in Georgia, contributing $940 million in direct spending, according to Emily Murray of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office. Compared with 2007, when Georgia-based productions were worth $133 million, last year’s productions were valued at $934 million. Georgia is third among states in film, television and video game production and "may very well be first one day," Gov. Nathan Deal said at a University of Georgia economic development conference last week. Atlanta movie mogul Tyler Perry told him, "You know, we're going to dry up Los Angeles," Deal said.

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