State Official: Georgia Film And TV Industry Bounces Back After Pandemic Shutdown

Georgia saw $2.9 billion in direct spending on TV and film projects in 2019, but the pandemic reversed that growth in 2020.

Emil Moffatt / WABE

The lockdown brought on by the coronavirus pandemic led to a $700 million drop-off in direct spending on film and TV projects in Georgia last year, as compared to 2019.

That’s according to Lee Thomas with Georgia’s Department of Economic Development, who says there was a record $2.9 billion in direct spending on the industry in 2019. She says they were projecting another record for 2020, before the pandemic hit.

But she says most of the projects were able to resume by October as the state left COVID-19 precautions up to the studios, unlike other states and countries.