Tag Archives: production company

10 Reasons to Make the Move to Atlanta

Many production companies are making the move to Atlanta. Some examples of recent movies shot in Atlanta include: Hawkeye, Spider-man: No Way Home, Red Notice, and Jungle Cruise. Atlanta is also a hotspot for television series including: Stranger Things, Ozark, and The Walking Dead. So, should you make the move? We’ve made a list of ten reasons to make the move and kickstart your career in Atlanta. 

Montage of film productions shot in Atlanta. In order: Hawkeye, Spider-man: No Way Home, Red Notice, and Jungle Cruise, Stranger Things, Ozark, and The Walking Dead.

Tax Incentive

The state of Georgia offers a 20% tax incentive to production companies who complete production and post-production in their state. This is advantageous for creatives looking to budget their work effectively.

Multiple Established Production Companies

Secondly, Atlanta is already home to many production companies including LionStar Films, CNN, and Carbon Film making it a well-established film and media city. Having these well established companies makes breaking into the industry easier.

Employment Opportunities

Because Atlanta is currently hosting production companies and film projects, there are jobs to be filled every day with the job market increasing every year. You might find that Atlanta has more opportunity than NYC or LA where the competition is massive.

Casting

Atlanta is home to a diverse population of people and that is reflected in the casting coming out of the city. You will have talented actors from many different backgrounds auditioning for your projects. Perhaps you’d like to step in front of the camera, too? Atlanta is a great starter city for an actor to build their career.

Tourism

Atlanta tourism brings in more attention and money to the city every year. There is plenty to do from watching theatre productions to eating at award winning restaurants.

Landscape

Aside from the entertainment, the land itself brings exciting views and great shots for a filmmaker. Georgia has it all from suburban neighborhoods, city buildings, farm land, and space to build. (Everything but an ocean…)

Creative Communities

Atlanta is full of artists from different fields such as theatre, fine arts, filmmaking, and dance. Having artistic communities right next door allows you to build connections with like minded creatives. Who knows, maybe you could find a group to make a short film or series?

Low Living Expenses

Compared to Los Angeles, Atlanta’s cost of living is affordable. Georgia’s rent prices run lower than the rest of the country making rent manageable. Find a roommate or two and you are saving A LOT of money!

Location

This southern city is still centrally located and a major US city. You have access to all major flights through Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport and driving is a breeze compared to LA.

Education with Digital Film Academy

At Digital Film Academy, we see the value of having an educational institution in the fastest growing film production area in the country. We want you to succeed and we do that by giving you the tools you need to thrive in the digital media industry. All DFA students and graduates have lifetime access to our equipment, facilities, and exclusive Jobs Board. If you’d like to hear more, join us for an Open House.

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We’re changing, are you?

Students working as a film crew, directing, operating the camera and recording sound at Central Park in New York.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”

– Rita Mae Brown (not Einstein, I checked)


Everything around us is constantly changing, and that’s never been more true. I’ll throw another quote at you:

“For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled”

– Bob Dylan


The best way to succeed is to be on the forefront of change. And that’s what we’re doing. Digital Film Academy is always on the lookout for how we can change to better serve our students. We’ve pivoted to a hybrid learning environment that allows our busy students to do most of their classes remotely. We bring our seasoned professors to you, wherever you are. 

We’ve designed an entirely new Associates Program that gives you equipment to own (yours forever, no joke), included in the tuition. That means that as you’re building your portfolio, working on school projects, or working with clients, you’ve got everything you need. You become your own production company. When you’re learning the equipment you have it there, in your hands. We did this because it’s the best way for you to learn and that’s our top priority. 

We’ve adapted our hands-on classes so that we can still deliver the essentials, while keeping our students safe. We just finished our intensive 3 week summer classes that had students performing in real life scenarios. From shooting walk-and-talks in Central Park to dramatic dollys in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen. 

Our mission is and always has been to prepare you to make money and we’re always looking for new ways to do that better. 

Maybe it’s time you think about making a change? 

Come to one of our Open Houses and see if we can’t help you take a step in a new direction.

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Spotlight on Jazmin and Steven Young

Despite a six-year age difference, sister and brother Jazmin and Steven Young have always been close. Now, 20 and 26 respectively, that closeness has translated into shared professional passion and career opportunities for both.

One of the challenges of a career in film, according to Jazmin, is finding exactly where you fit. As a little girl, she through of being an actress – but soon realized she didn’t want to be in front of a camera.

Jazmin Young
Jazmin Young

This didn’t stop her from wanting to express her creativity, however. She developed an interest in producing music videos while in high school, and when she saw the music video “Ride” with Lana Del Ray, realized that she really wanted to be telling stories in her videos. Her love of cameras grew, and now, her main focus is on editing and camerawork.

Steven likewise started his film career with music. His wide musical background included writing his own songs and producing music, so for him it was natural to develop an interest in audio.

Steven Young
Steven Young

Jazmin was the first of the duo to attend the Digital Film Academy. The DFA opened her eyes to cameras and to a whole new perspective on how to tell a story. It wasn’t long before Steven joined the DFA as well and both their careers began to flourish, starting with the production of short films which they wrote together. The first, a psychological thriller titled Love Jacket, is now in the editing process.

Last summer, they had the opportunity to work together on a Bollywood film being shot in various US locations, Uncommitted. Steven first joined the production as the sound engineer, and recommended Jazmin for camera assistant.

On the set of Uncommitted.
On the set of Uncommitted.

A big pro of working together has been helping to set each other up with such opportunities. People enjoy the sibling teamwork Steven and Jazmin bring to their sets.

The brother-sister pair are now legalizing their own production company, Selective Vision, along with partner Sid Polar. They love the creative process and, in addition to producing work they feel strongly about, want to continue to put music and film together. Music, according to Jazmin, “is like another subplot in a film.”

Of course, the challenge of starting a company is daunting, but if anyone is up for it, it’s these two. Jazmin says that while it’s true that there’s a lot to figure out when starting a business, in the end, figuring it out and moving forward makes you better in your chosen field. She also stressed that, when learning how to start the company, the DFA was hugely helpful. “The DFA helped a lot,” she said. “We’ve learned so much.”

Selective Vision is on its way.

By Digital Film Academy Blog Manager Sara McDermott Jain.

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