Leaders In Community Collaboration: Cherokee Film Summit Expands To Reach All Of Metro Atlanta
The annual Cherokee Film Summit is expanding to reach all of metro Atlanta with the first ever Metro Atlanta Film Summit, which will be held at the YANMAR EVO//Center in southwest Cherokee on March 14, 2025.
Driven by the Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED), the Metro Atlanta Film Summit (MAFS) was created due to the tremendous success and growth of the Cherokee Film Summit. With this expansion, COED aims to lead collaboration efforts across communities, strengthening the region’s bustling film industry.
Since its launch five years ago, the Cherokee Film Summit has drawn in over 100 speakers and panelists for over 1,500 attendees across many sectors. Serving as Cherokee’s Camera Ready Liaison with the Georgia Film Office since 2013, COED has helped foster a strong film industry within the county, connecting over 360 film projects to necessary resources.
“When a project films in Cherokee, it creates economic impact for our local service providers, businesses, workforce and communities,” said Misti Martin, President & CEO of COED. “We need to keep growing our film sector to maximize Cherokee’s potential benefits.”
Similar to the Cherokee Film Summit, MAFS attendees will be able to network with fellow filmmakers and attend sessions guided by the industry’s leading professionals, but with an expanded schedule.
Beginning in the early afternoon, workshop-style breakout sessions aimed at skill development accommodate 25 guests per room, covering a variety of topics. To spark deeper discussions, round tables are exclusive, reservation-only sessions that give attendees the chance to meet with an expert in a small group setting of five or less.
The evening will be capped off with Keynote and Feature presentations.
Building off the Cherokee Film Summit’s desire to support the county’s film community, the team behind MAFS passionately believes that the diversely talented people who make up the metro region’s film workforce are the heartbeat of Georgia’s film production.
MAFS was created as a beacon of inspiration, perspective and connection. Convening creatives, decision makers and industry leaders, MAFS aims to ignite conversations that empower guests to chart the path forward for the metro filmmaking community.
The evolution of the Cherokee Film Summit underscores the significance of the greater metro Atlanta area’s standing as the epicenter of film, music and digital entertainment, where stories are brought to life with local talent, groundbreaking ideas, and unmatched ambition.
“We can’t view ourselves in competition with other communities, but rather with other markets,” said Martin. “Working with other communities across the metro region shows filmmakers we are committed to fostering innovation and collaboration, inspiring confidence that metro Atlanta fiscally and logistically makes sense.”
Learn directly from industry professionals, meet your peers and grow your network. Join MAFS for an unparalleled day of networking, education and inspiration on March 14. More information is available at MetroAtlantaFilmSummit.com. Follow @CherokeeOED on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for the latest updates.