with both volunteer and for‐pay instructors. This space will be set
up with so ware to allow for self‐teaching during open lab hours.
Workshops, speakers, and training are open to all ages and levels
of experience. The primary goal of Film Athens educa on is to
offer the Athens community an educa onal opportunity they
might not be able to receive otherwise. The workshops are o en
free, or offered at a class fee set below market cost.
Once Film Lab is up and running, students will gain a knowledge
base that will help them work on a film produc on. “If we had a
trained crew here, then we’d have more movies here,” Film Athens
Execu ve Director Danielle Robarge Rusk says. Currently, the
curriculum for a college credit‐earning film pathway is being
developed by Athens Technical College and is based on film
industry standards and plans to roll out in Spring 2015.
“We want to teach everything involved in film,” Robarge Rusk said.
“From pre‐produc on like wri ng, budge ng and storyboarding ...
to produc on, technical classes and definitely edi ng, distribu on,
the whole gamut. We’ve had a lot of local filmmakers in the past
express interest in teaching, and there are people in Atlanta we
can work with.” The vision for Film Lab will be a hub where
professionals and hopefuls meet and learn from each other. It will
take some me for the film pathway to be considered “workforce
training,” Robarge Rusk said, but more of a way to show the range
of work opportuni es in the film industry.
For more informa on and updates
on Film Lab, visit
www.filmathens.net
For informa on about filming in Athens please visit
h p://www.athensclarkecounty.com/film.
BY
Gov. Nathan Deal announced on May 6, 2014 that Georgia was
named the No.1 most compe ve state in the na on by Site
Selec on magazine.
Site Selec on states that what makes a state compe ve is the total
number of new and expanded facili es; capital investment in new
and expanded facili es; new jobs created; rank in the corporate real
estate execu ve por on of the 2013 Site Selec on Business Climate
Ranking; state tax climate as ranked by the Tax Founda on;
performance in the Beacon Hill Ins tute’s State Compe veness
Index and the number of Na onal Career Readiness Cer ficates per
1,000 residents aged 18‐64, according to ACT — Workforce
Development Division, administrator of the ACT Cer fied Work
Ready Communi es ini a ve.
“When I took office in January 2011, I made a promise to the people
of Georgia that we wouldn’t stop un l our state was the No. 1 place
in the na on to do business,” said Deal. “We earned that designa on
in November for the first me ever, and now we’re adding ‘most
compe ve’ to our accomplishments. These rankings are not only a
testament to our strong business climate, but they also speak to the
commitment and support from our industry partners, communi es
and the people of Georgia.”
Site Selec on magazine, published by Conway Data Inc., delivers
expansion planning informa on to 49,000 execu ves of fast‐growing
The magazine releases its Top 10 Compe ve States every year in
firms. The senior publica on in the development field, Site Selec on
May. The Top 10 Compe ve States ranking is based on an index of is also available online at siteselec on.com. The publica on also co‐
10 criteria, most of which are ed to new projects and expansions
publishes e‐newsle ers, including The Site Selec on Dispatch, Life
tracked by Site Selec on’s New Plant Database.
Sciences Report, Aerospace Report and Energy Report; Site Selec on
Interna onal; The FDI Report; Trust Belt.com and the OnSITE Travel
“Remaining compe ve is key to staying ahead in the global
blog.
marketplace,” said Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia
Department of Economic Development. “With cri cal factors such as Conway Data is an interna onal publishing, consul ng and
a qualified workforce, solid logis cs infrastructure and connec ons associa on management company headquartered in Atlanta.
in key interna onal markets, it’s no surprise that Georgia outranks
Conway also owns and manages London‐based Red Hot Loca ons,
other states in this category and our state con nues to be the best organizer of worldwide FDI events; Berlin‐based FDI advisory firm
choice for industry‐leading companies.”
Terrain Consul ng; New York‐based The PONT Group, a leading PR
and lead‐genera on firm; economic development educa on and
Site Selec on’s Top 10 Compe ve States has given Georgia 426
research organiza on the Janus Ins tute; and manages the Industrial
points — 12 more than the 414 that won last year’s first place. Last Asset Management Council and the forthcoming FDI Associa on,
year, Georgia ranked as the na on’s third most compe ve state
launching in November 2013.
and has remained in ѡ