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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Georgia film maven hopes agriculture can become the Peach State's next movie star

In recent years Atlanta has become a major hub for Hollywood talent, with entertainment production increased by 400 percent since the Georgia Legislature passed a tax incentive for the film industry in 2008. Now the state's top entertainment-industry adviser is looking to turn agriculture into the next big star, Jill Vejnoska of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Shay Bentley-Griffin, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Chez Group, who has cast more than 225 TV and feature film projects, already serves on the governor’s Film and Entertainment Advisory Board and was recently appointed to the state Agricultural Advisory Commission.

Bentley-Griffin, a third-generation farmer who sought out the agriculture post, already has writers working on some ideas and is planning to start her own production company. "There is struggle and there are great success stories out there," Donnie Smith, who oversees the agriculture commission, told Vejnoska. "Farmers love and protect the land. There are tremendous stories to tell, and we think we can benefit from her film expertise." When Smith asked her if the appointment "means we could see Georgia agriculture-themed documentaries, commercials or even TV series and movies (picture it in lights: “Vidalia: There’s No Crying in Onion Growing”), she replied, "It could be all of above." (Read more)

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