TV stations aren’t the only ones cranking out programming in Atlanta. Thanks to generous tax credits, Atlanta has emerged as a hub of TV and film production. Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, The Resident, MacGyver and Ozark are among the series that shoot in the market.
“It has become an entertainment hotbed,” said John Deushane, WXIA president and general manager.
Rodney Ho, entertainment reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, counted 120 active or upcoming TV productions in the metro area as of September. In 2011, the number was 25.
Tyler Perry Studios opened in October. Ho counts 100 sound stages in the market, and it’s barely enough. “It’s at maximum capacity,” he said.
TV and film is a $9.5 billion business in Georgia, according to the state. Producers aren’t so much married to Atlanta, Ho noted, as they are the 30% discount. “If they got rid of the tax credit,” he said, “the only one left would be Tyler Perry.”
