Georgia film industry more than studios

Georgia’s emerging film and entertainment industry has spent the past decade going from a mostly conceptual phase to one where the roots are firmly planted in Georgia soil, and fruits are regularly harvested.

Exhibit A for the film industry is South Georgia attorney Patrick Millsaps. Millsaps’ journey began as a somewhat accidental and quixotic trip through national campaign work and led him to be the co-founder and CEO of a Georgia-based film production company, Londonderry Entertainment.

In December 2011, he traveled to Iowa to serve for two days as a volunteer on the presidential campaign of New Gingrich. Millsaps, not terribly shy and occasionally outspoken, found himself at odds with much of the paid staff. After suggesting the campaign produce and release a cost-effective YouTube video that earned Gingrich national media attention, Millsaps found himself being asked by the candidate to stay on for a few more days.

His stint in campaign world gave him many media contacts, as well as others he met along the way.

That began a journey that led him through many of the inner workings of the business side of the industry.

His first foray into producing was when he served as executive producer to an independent film that had lost much of its financing four days before shooting was to begin. Patrick persuaded an investor from Texas to overnight $200,000 to complete the $500,000 budget.

That film, “I’ll See You In My Dreams” starring Blythe Danner, Sam Elliott, Martin Starr, Malin Akerman and Rhea Perlman, was invited to premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, was purchased by a distributor, was released nationally, and brought in $16 million at the box office.

Millsaps has bold plans not only for Londonderry, but for the entire entertainment industry in Georgia. His goal — shared with many state leaders — is to make Georgia a “self-contained production state.”

Pinewood Studios is an established and growing entity remaking central Fayette County. Tyler Perry is planning an ambitious expansion of his Georgia operations in taking over much of the abandoned Fort McPherson. Numerous other studio projects dot the Atlanta perimeter and across other parts of Georgia.

Other than Tyler Perry’s, these studios mostly are on a business model that relies on short term facilities rental — cast and crew come to Georgia to film and then leave. Most of the industry is still led by decisions made in Los Angeles and New York.

Millsaps wants to change that. He makes it a point to introduce his relationships in the industry to businesses in Georgia. For instance, Londonderry banks with Atlanta-based Atlantic Capital. He is now introducing studio executives to his hometown bank to move some of that business into the state. Millsaps also says that Governor Deal’s Georgia Film Academy is “brilliant” and “will continue to soldering Georgia to the entertainment industry.”

Additionally, as Londonderry continues to educate Georgians, not only how to maximize Georgia’s tax credits for film & television, but the opportunities that such as investment present investors with their federal income tax as well, the more firmly rooted the industry will become.

It’s been an interesting if not totally planned journey for Millsaps, one that allows him to have one foot firmly planted in the glitzy world of Hollywood, and one in the neighborly qualities (and diet) of Southwest Georgia. His near term goals are to “make great films with great people.” As the father of three daughters, Londonderry’s stated purpose is to provide more filmmaking opportunities to women. The more successful he is at doing that, the closer the two worlds that he currently inhabits will be to becoming one.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Georgia film industry more than studios."