Digital Media Courtesy of Cartoon Network, Atlanta GA A Top-Growing Industry in Georgia Why Georgia for Digital Media? • Young population – Georgia’s median age is 36.0 (ESRI, 2015) • Leading destination for young, college-educated professionals • Low cost of living and high quality of life • Georgia ranks seventh in the nation for tech employment growth, adding 6,700 jobs in 2014 (TechAmerica Foundation, Cyberstates 2015) • Gerogia ranks fourth in the nation for telecommunications services (TechAmerica Foundation, Cyberstates 2015) • Georgia ranks 11th in the nation for overall high-tech employment, and second in the Southeast for overall high-tech employment (TechAmerica Foundation, Cyberstates 2015) • Atlanta ranks third for the highest STEM employment growth (WalletHub, January 2015) • The Southeast’s largest concentration of telecommunications companies sits at the heart of Downtown Atlanta Entertainment Tax Credit The state of Georgia offers up to a 30 percent tax incentive to digital entertainment companies doing business in Georgia. Cost of Doing Business ATLANTA Dallas Los Angeles San Francisco Washington, D.C. Boston New York 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 Source: Moody’s Economy.com, May 2014 (2012 data) Cost of Living Dallas ATLANTA Los Angeles Boston Washington, D.C. San Francisco New York 0 50 100 150 200 Source: ACCRA Annual Average 2014 250 World-Class Education Georgia is home to a multitude of universities that offer digital entertainment programs, including Georgia Tech, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Georgia Southern University, Southern Polytechnic, Kennesaw State University, Art Institute of Atlanta, and the University of Georgia. Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Tech is one of the nation’s top research universities. Georgia Tech’s campus is in the heart of the city of Atlanta, where more than 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive a focused, technology-based education. Georgia Tech has eleven different degree programs that produce graduates in the digital entertainment space, including a Masters and Doctorate of Science in Digital Media, and a Master of Human Computer Interaction. Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) With more graduate and undergraduate degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university in the United States, SCAD is uniquely qualified to prepare talented students for careers in digital entertainment. SCAD is also among the elite in national and international recognition, rankings and career placement, and has been named one of the nation‘s “Most Interesting Schools” and one of “25 cutting-edge schools with an eye toward the future” by Kaplan-Newsweek. Major University & Company Digital Media Research Facilities • Georgia Tech Research Institute Information and Communications Laboratory (ICL) • Georgia Institute of Technology GVU (Graphics, Visualization and Usability) Center • Georgia Institute of Technology Augmented Environments Lab • SCAD-Atlanta SCAD Digital Media Center • SCAD-Savannah Savannah Film Studios • University of Georgia New Media Institute (NMI) A Sample of Digital Media Employers Digital Media Employers § ¦ ¨ 85 ¬ « 400 § ¦ ¨ 75 § ¦ ¨ 285 § ¦ ¨ 20 ATLANTA § ¦ ¨ 20 § ¦ ¨ 85 § ¦ ¨ 75 Esri, HERE, DeLorme, MapmyIndia,Development; © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS Source: Digital Media Database, Georgia Power Community & Economic Gwinnett user community Chamber of Commerce (August 2015) Online game developer Hi-Rez Studios will expand its Alpharetta Headquarters. “We continue to find exceptional engineering and creative talent in metro Atlanta. Compared to alternate locations for game development like California, metro Atlanta provides a recruiting and business advantage primarily based on its affordable cost of living.” Todd Harris, Chief Operating Officer of Hi-Rez Studios Source: “Hi-Rez Studios to Expand Alpharetta Headquarters, Adding 50 Jobs,” Georgia Department of Economic Development press release, 3.27.2015 •Artistic Digital •Bento Box Entertainment •Big Nerd Ranch •Blue Mammoth Games Inc. •Cadillac Jack Inc. •Cartoon Network •CCP North America •Cox Media Group •Digital Roar Studios •Dragon Army •Eyes Wide Games •Floyd County Productions •Games That Work •Gideon Games •Hi-Rez Studios •Kaneva Inc. •Macquarium Intelligent Comm. •Moxie USA •OgilvyOne •Persuasive Games •Primal Screen •Pulseworks •Razorfish •Rockfish Interactive •Silly Monkey •Soverance Studios •Tapjoy •Thrust Interactive Inc. •Trick3D •Tripwire Interactive •Turner Broadcasting System Inc. •World Touch Gaming •Xaviant LLC Georgia: Host To High-Tech Innovation Existing companies and new arrivals have access to cutting-edge technological resources offered by renowned universities such as Georgia Tech. Qualcomm Inc. recently announced the opening of reality game studio in partnership with Georgia Tech. Georgia also offers networking opportunities through the Georgia Game Developers Association (GGDA). For more information, visit www.ggda.org. • Renowned research universities, offering reality game studios and cutting-edge programs • A center of innovation, start-up activity and technology employment • Georgia is home to a creative talent base of 54,594 workers that include multimedia artists, animators, and software engineers. (EMSI, 2015.2) • Georgia produces more than 6,598 graduates in computer design, programming, engineering and digital media-related programs. (EMSI, 2013 Program Completions, July 2015) Critical Mass of Computer IT Graduates Austin San Francisco GEEK WIRE/MOVOTO “Top 10 Cities for Gamers” 1. ATLANTA, GA 2. Seattle, WA 3. Denver, CO 4. Portland, OR 5. San Francisco, CA 6. Long Beach, CA 7. Sacramento, CA 8. Mesa, AZ 9. Kansas City, MO 10. San Jose, CA Source: GeekWire, 3.26.2013 “Georgia’s schools and universities have fostered an outstanding curriculum around video games, digital media, music & sound, art, and technology. So you have top schools like Georgia Tech and SCAD providing a steady supply of raw talent.” Chris Klaus, CEO of Kaneva Dallas Boston ATLANTA Los Angeles New York 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 Source: EMSI, National Center for Education Statistics, 2013 Completions CONTACT US Georgia Power has been helping companies locate in our state for more than 85 years. We offer a full array of products and services available at no cost. To receive confidential assistance please contact one of our experienced professionals. Partnering with state and local agencies, Brenda Robbins and Nicole Pearson specialize in digital media as one of their target industries. Nicole began her career with Southern Company in 2001, working in communications. She later moved to Southern Company’s supply chain management organization before joining the Georgia Power economic development team in 2007. Nicole is currently working with numerous digital media projects. Nicole Pearson 404-506-1460 npearson@southernco.com Brenda began her career with Southern Company in 1982 in the Information Systems division of Southern Company Services. Joining Georgia Power’s statewide projects team in 1996, Brenda brought a strong background in information technology and human resources. Brenda Robbins 404-506-6617 bkrobbin@southernco.com Georgia Power Community & Economic Development 75 Fifth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 econdevga@southernco.com www.SelectGeorgia.com 8.20.15