From Hollywood to Y’allywood-Help Bring film projects to Cherokee
CANTON, June 17, 2015 – Staged plane crashes, prop phone booths, 1950’s cars, not to mention Michael Keaton and Tom Cruise, these are all examples of the excitement that the film industry brought when they chose Cherokee to film this spring. Our county has been a hot spot for Hollywood in 2015 and the community is loving it.
According to an online poll hosted by The Cherokee Ledger-News asking if the community would like to see Cherokee grow as a filming destination, over 86% of respondents said yes. “These projects have attracted audiences to our cities – people who normally wouldn’t have visited,” said Misti Martin, Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED) President. “The cast and crews shopped in our stores, ate locally and many stayed in our hotels. The economic impact is evident, just in the businesses testimonials alone.” In a post shared on the B.Loved Facebook page during the filming of “The Founder” in Downtown Canton they write “Got to meet the assistant to the director, on set script writer, prop director and one paparazzi all while shopping at B.loved!”
Now coined “Y’allywood,” the peach state is seeing projects from the biggest names in the business. Filming in Georgia is a $5.1 billion industry. Location managers and film scouts have set their sights on Georgia because of the diverse landscape, undeniable history and appealing tax credits. There are not many states that you can start the day filming in the mountains and be shooting a scene at the beach by dinner time. COED has worked as the Camera Ready liaisons for Cherokee County since 2011, identifying unique properties for Georgia’s statewide film locations database Reel Scout, building relationships with scouts and facilitating a Camera Ready committee of community leaders. “Film is one of COED’s target industry sectors. When a project chooses Cherokee, it generates income for local business and increases awareness of our incredible county,” explains Marshall Day, COED Chairman.
How do we continue to attract scouts and producers to Cherokee County? And how can the community help?
COED is seeking the help of Cherokee County residents to identify potential filming locations that may catch the eye of the next big movie or television project. Do you know of a house that looks haunted or a valley that looks like a fairytale scene when the light hits it the right way? Think outside the box. Scouts look for everything from old convenient stores to grand mansions or, in the case of “Mena” recently filmed in Ball Ground, an entire city. A scout for “Mena” found The City of Ball Ground through the Reel Scout database, a testament to how the Camera Ready program works.
If you are interested in COED adding your property the Camera Ready Reel Scout database, please email them at cameraready@cherokeega.org with the subject line “Camera Ready Location” and include a picture and short description of your property. COED will respond with next steps.