Wanna be a star? Atlanta is the place to be.

In the guest chair:

Shay Griffin and Dana Barrett

Shay Griffin, President of The Chez Group, was in the studio today to talk about the boom in the film and entertainment industry in Atlanta and across the state of Georgia. Griffin was integral in  the state to create the tax incentives that have made the state of Georgia a very desirable place to film movies and TV shows. The 2013 film year which ran from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013 saw Georgia-licensed feature films and television productions generate an economic impact of $3.3 billion.

Notable Quotes:

• “When we were working on the tax incentive we knew that we had a tremendous film infrastructure” –Shay Griffin
• “When putting together a project, you have to have an idea of who you are trying to sell it to and what market you are targeting” –Shay Griffin
• “If we do independent production we have more of an opportunity to showcase the talent we have here in Georgia” –Shay Griffin
• “I can’t imagine why anybody that is an actor would want to move out of Atlanta right now” –Shay Griffin
• “The next level of promotion is making people realize there is a very fine talent pool here in Georgia” Shay Griffin

Also – Adam G from SocialSave.com shares the latest on festivals, events and deals around town!

In the headlines:

• If you’ve been driving in those HOT lanes on I85 without a valid Peach Pass you better stop. The state is cracking down, and you won’t believe how much the worst offender owes!
• And speaking of being fined for doing bad stuff… Southwest Airlines owes a big fine for some bad behavior on their part.
• Mayor Reed is participating in a very cool conference that started yesterday in Denmark.  I’m guessing he flew coach after the hubbub about the last trip.
• Amazon is at war with the publisher Hachette, but it is the customers and the authors who pay the price.
• And speaking of going to war – NCR is coming out with some really cool technology to help brick and mortar stores do battle with Amazon.