Mapping the Industry
From the beginning, a core aspiration for CMII researchers has been to more closely track workforce and industry trends as media industries work grows in Atlanta and Georgia.
This examination of trends got its start in a study done by Kay Beck and Elizabeth Strickler, which aimed to document the workforce needs faced by Georgia in the film and television industry. In a project sponsored by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents which laid some of the foundation for what was to become the Georgia Film Academy, Beck and Strickler interviewed state and industry entertainment officials. These findings made a more extensive case for a higher educational commitment to film and TV industry professional training, organized in concert with the main production studies and key unions who certify media industry workers.
A more recent study, to be released in fall 2017, undertakes similar work to document industry trends in the state’s game design and development sector.
For more information on mapping the industry research, complete our Research Information Form:
Ethan Tussey, assistant professor of media studies in the College of the Arts, and Amelia Arsenault, assistant professor of communication in the College of Arts and Sciences, have collaborated with moving image studies doctoral students to create the Atlanta Media Project (AMP). Begun in 2012, the Atlanta Media Industries Project at Georgia State is a research collective that studies the evolving media ecology of Atlanta, the Southern region and beyond. Its research agenda leverages the rich diversity of media activities taking place in and around Atlanta. The research agenda is national and global in scope.
A key AMP project is the Atlanta Media Mapping Project. Among its aims is to create an interactive geo-mapping of the Atlanta media industry. While several organizations have constructed lists of media organizations and productions taking place in the Atlanta metro area, this mapping will be the first systematic multi-level data source that aggregates qualitative and quantitative sources of information, which we believe are fundamental for understanding how the boom in media production is influencing Atlanta. The map was begun to provide a visual representation of several data-sources, including: data from the industry survey, edited selections from the videotaped in-depth interviews, SEC filings, data from the Georgia Film, Video and Entertainment Sourcebook, as well as other data aggregated by the research team. The map will allow visitors to zero in on such trends as: industry type, percentage of individual production funds invested in the local economy and connections with other media capitals (such as New York and Los Angeles).
CMII researchers have planned a series of media industry sector summits to bring together academics, policymaker and industry representatives. The goal of these meetings is to strategize how public higher education can better partner with industry, better prepare students for early arts and media careers, and collaborate in research. The next of these summits is focused on virtual reality(VR) technologies and the emergence of VR work in Atlanta, and will be held in February 2018.
Other project work includes providing support to faculty organizing a media career training for at-risk youth, done in collaboration with the Crim Center in the College of Education and Human Development.
And CMII participates in Atlanta Metro Chamber-organized international collaborations that connect media industries from around the world. CMII faculty were recently involved in a delegation visit from Canada, and in November 2018 will host a small delegation from Brazil.