Feb 28, 2018

Atlanta: The Hollywood of the South

Hi everyone! Ping here—and I am ready for my close-up!

Everyone at The Icebox is so proud to be here in the heart of beautiful Atlanta, Georgia! Boasting one of the largest film markets (right behind New York and Hollywood), Atlanta has been labeled as the “Hollywood of the South”. Some of your favorite shows and movies have been filmed in Atlanta! With a great tax incentive for production companies, my regular ATL hangouts include some cool locations you’ve seen on The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, and The Hunger Games.

One of the iconic scenes in The Walking Dead shows Rick Grimes riding a horse on Atlanta’s Freedom Parkway. If you visit Atlanta, you can map out some of the famous houses and streets from the show. Don’t forget to take a selfie at some of these popular spots!

Even though Stranger Things is set in Indiana, the show is actually filmed in several small towns outside of Atlanta, including Douglasville, Conyers, Jackson, Winston and Fayetteville. The film crew even touched up the buildings in downtown Jackson with paint to make it look more like 1983 Hawkins.

With the tax incentive gaining popularity, action films and top movies are heading south to film too. Three of the four Hunger Games movies have been filmed here, and Explore Georgia even offers a tour of the views you’ll recognize from the Quarter Quell.

That cool tax incentive I keep talking about? It’s unlike anything offered in other states. Georgia offers up to 30% in tax credits to any production budget over $500,000. While most states have a cap or category limitations, the generous credit is very simple and obviously effective at bringing Hollywood-style buzz to the south.

"Sure, we have a competitive incentive," said Lee Thomas, deputy director of the Georgia Film Commission, "but it's also the ease of access with Hartsfield-Jackson, the variety of looks from cities to the coastline to the mountains — we can accommodate a lot of scripts — all the crew and infrastructure. We can house these big shows. And people enjoy being here. It's a good quality of life."

Even Marvel has been filming their action hits in Atlanta, starting with Ant-Man, then Captain America: Civil War, and Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Another great incentive for production companies in Atlanta is, well, The Icebox! Did you know that we help curate and create wrap party gifts, set swag for crew members, and movie premiere giveaways? We’re the perfect swag partner for all production companies who choose to set the scene in the ATL.

We’re excited to be headquartered in a fun city with so much to offer, and we love spotting our favorite places throughout these films. It’s great to be part of such a growing industry!

Check out this list of shows currently filming!