Beyond Hollywood: Three Media Leaders Weigh in on Atlanta’s New Entertainment Economy

Welcome to AdSe about the business of marketing, media, and creativity. In this episode, we're sharing a conversation recorded live at one of AD week's events featuring leaders from across the industry discussing the ideas shaping brands right now. Let's get into it. I'm happy to be moderating this as someone that is from Atlanta, born and raised. Um, I want to thank you. So, if you all could just go down the line and introduce yourselves, what you do, and then we'll kick it off. Eddie Moretti. I'm a executive producer at Laugh Cry Wow, a new production company. We just uh produced Magic City here in Atlanta last year and it's on Stars and go and watch it please. Hey everybody, Asante Bradford. I work for the state of Georgia economic development. Um couple things uh film music dig entertainment office. So I've been doing the digital entertainment part for about 20 years now. and then now um called what's called center of innovation and I focus around what's called the creative industries of digital entertainment but I like to say something first I'm just I'm sorry okay >> meet people who who's visiting Atlanta for the first time let me hear you >> here I'm over there >> I got a chance to meet a few at lunch man so I just want to say man I hope we showed out very well for you and hey there there's my friends and uh man I'm just excited when I heard that so many of you guys are coming to visit man I hope we really show you out well we're we're really excited what's going on here So anyway, thank you guys. I'm Londell Adu. I have been a producer on probably big big action type Hollywood films all my life pretty much. And I started a tech company called um Rabbit Hole Studios. I was based in LA. We are moving to Atlanta. Exactly. And uh we're here to make it happen, you know, and to uh to enjoy everybody and to hopefully uplift and unite and ignite change and new stuff here. So, right on. >> Amen to that. Okay. Well, I want to start it off. When did you all realize that Atlanta wasn't just a place to like shoot something, but actually build something that lasts? >> I'll go first. Okay. So, the co-founder of Laugh Cry Wow is Janie Girtz, the actress. You might have remember her from Twister or Lesson Zero. A few years ago, she bought um the Atlanta Hawks. So, she started splitting her time with her family here in Atlanta. And soon as she got into this town, she was introduced to the cultural kind of, you know, landscape. Made a lot of friends. That's how the Magic City project came to be was her children and Magic, Mr. Magic's children were friends and became friends and through that friendship sort of developed the idea to like do the doc series. So really since yeah years ago before we started producing this show realized that Atlanta is just a great place to do business, tell stories and create content and we'll be back. >> Yeah, love that. Uh for me it was real simple. Before I started with the state I had a film festival and it was great about oh god 20 plus years ago now but at that time it was Tyler Perry and Rain. So all these people were coming at the same time. So it was really exciting to see kind of what this movement was becoming. >> Yeah. >> And then Larry this job came up because so much of our young talent was leaving the state. It was like well hey if we can recruit those companies to come to Georgia hopefully those kids won't have to leave. And you're prime example of that. You don't have to go nowhere now, Brad. >> Um, for me, I did a movie here a few years ago called um, Red Notice. I don't know if you anybody saw that on Netflix. It uh, it was their highest grossing film ever until K-pop came us off the uh, picked us off the uh, the stage there. But, you know, filming here and um and working, I got a sense of, you know, the the teams and the the crews that are here and, you know, and how professional and how great everyone was and and my partner co-founder Janice Fler and I just were like, man, this is actually really cool, you know, maybe we should look into staying here and building something and doing something more. So that was the first time for me that, you know, I got the bug and now we're we're moving. So it works. >> You need to meet Paul Carpenter at some >> must be. >> So Eddie, I want to ask you, what about Atlanta shapes the stories that you tell? Like does a story start in Atlanta for you or does Atlanta find its way through the stories that you're creating? Well, obviously with Magic City, it's an Atlanta, you know, you know, like a landmark, a historic institution, kind of like a crossroads for people in in uh um in sports and um music and entertainment. Um so, it's about finding Atlanta specific stories. We are developing at least one music project now because of Magic City. Um that's homegrown talent here. I don't want to I'm not ready to go public so I'm not going to say who it is but well-known musical artist from Atlanta. Um and but we're also also going to bring some of the storytelling that we're doing elsewhere in the country or the world and use Atlanta as a production hub. We found amazing crews here. You know, you need like a low friction um environment in order to like efficiently make content, right? and Atlanta is like provides that. So, yeah, we're going to tell Atlanta based stories. Always look out for cultural um heroes from this city, but also some of the sports shows. I I I can't announce there's another one. We're close to I was talking to my panel mates about backstage. We're close to announcing a new sports franchise. We will make sure that we do the production here in Atlanta cuz it's it's comfortable. It's economically sensible. There's great incentives. Thank you very much. Great people, too. Um, and uh, yeah, it's a wonderful East Coast hub for what happens um, in development on the West Coast. >> Yeah, I remember you saying that Atlanta is East Coast creative engine. >> Yeah, it's like our our hub for us. Instead of parking um, production and post in New York, we're going to look to do it here. >> Yeah. And Blanel, I want to go to you because there are a lot of things that was founded in Atlanta. If you didn't know, Coca-Cola, Cabbage Patch Kids, Home Depot, me, you know, a lot of stuff. Um, how are you revolutionizing what it means to be made in Atlanta? Cuz you're you work in tech, AI, Rabbit Hole Studios. How are you revolutionizing what that means? I mean I mean for me it's like we create worlds right that are beyond our planet worlds where we have anthropomorphic animals and humans coexisting. We're creating animated projects as well. And for me, you know, where you where you do that, you need a a comfortable creative environment where you can just flow, right? You know, if you're writing a book or if you're writing any story, you know, different people have different things where, you know, some people like to work in the morning, some people like to work in the evening, some people need the beach, some people need, you know, different terrains. And I mean, for me, I need to be in a vibrant city that's that's got an energy and a flow. >> Yes. >> Right. And and so I find myself, you know, wanting that, seeking that. I find the vibe here to be exactly that and the culture. And so it for me it's just a creative hub where you know I'm excited about what's going to come because I'm I'm one of those people that you know you have the uh the little notepad or the iPhone right next to you at 3 in the morning I get woken up with a new new idea. >> Yeah. >> Every week I think. So it's like oh and I'll have to look at it later and say what where did that come from or you know so forth. And so I find the lens to be that type of hub where you can just relax and create, you know, and a good environment. So for me it's it's like building upon that and growing that and and and it'll all be coming from right here. >> Yeah. Asante, I want to go to you because we're talking about the growth and the opportunity in Atlanta, but how can we also ensure that like the sustainability of what's happening in Atlanta remains or is going to be local crowdedly? >> That would be you. Um that would be K through 12. That would be our colleges and and anybody teaching in colleges here too. I'm they've done an incredible job here in the state. People like yourself are coming out right with talent. So that's where we're focused. Let's get this next generation. Let's we call it um getting the reps. So the kids have to get the reps to get good what's a 10,000 hour rule kind of thing. Yeah. So that's the goal to get the kid get the tools in the kids' hands. I'm going to be talking to this man a lot about AI and getting these tools in the kids' hands. Yeah. >> And we feel the kids will take us to the next level. I I I'm sorry I say kids, but >> the next generation will take and hopefully sustain what we've been building. >> Yeah. And do you have anything to add to what Blundell was talking about about revolutionizing what it means to be made in Atlanta? >> Everything is changing. >> Yeah. Um, you're at the vanguard and um, I love how much you're pouring into me. I [laughter] Well, because it's important to know and the reason why I'm here is because of what you've done. Who pays your bills? You guys pay our bills. The entertainment bills are is always been the entertain. It's always I'm sorry. in commercials and entertainment industry. One thing to talk about what you're talking about was exciting and I keep telling you you need to meet this guy is um we're working on an initiative here. We actually have a a I told you about a commercial tax credit. >> So anybody with brands in the golf if you guys shoot your commercials here in the state you get 20% back on your money. And a lot of folks don't know about that but that's how our bills get paid you know. So I'm really excited about that initiative. and Paul. He's Paul's head of the uh the Georgia Marketing Association here at Sorry, Atlanta. I'm Georgia. He Atlanta. Um so we're but we're really excited about the opportunities to get our brands more involved in the entertainment industry. So I hope that answers. >> Yeah. And what I love that you're talking about while you are pouring into me. Um another theme that's sticking out to me is young and emerging talent. Um and Eddie and Blendell, I want to hear from you both, especially you Blendel because you're moving Rabbit Hole Studios to Atlanta. But when did you say you're going to move? >> First quarter. >> First quarter to Atlanta. Um, and Atlanta is a hub for universities like and H.B.CU specifically. I grew up across the street from Morehouse, Spellman, Clark Atlanta University. How do you plan on tapping that young and emerging talent that wants to be in the entertainment? >> I got it. I already talking about it. I got it. Abs. Absolutely. I mean, you know, we all know Hollywood is a is a place that >> entry is is not guaranteed. We'll put it I'll put it that way. >> Yeah. >> Um and I I even know, you know, for for projects that I'm doing, I always get some other producers's you know, daughter or cousin or someone is like, "Oh, can you intern this person? Can you bring this person in?" And you know, which is which is all fine and and and so forth. However, for me to be in a city where I can actually reach out to people who normally would not get the opportunity >> Yeah. >> you know, and provide an opportunity for them to learn, you know, a craft and skill that will enable them to feed their families and to change their lives is is not, you know, it's not an opportunity, it's a responsibility, right? And so my daughter goes to SCAT, you know, and so her and all her friends are already like, "Okay, well, you know, your dad in their industry, you know, so um and with all the tech that's happening, you know, here with Georgia and all the obviously the HB.CU and so forth, it's white just, you know, we have so much great talent here." >> Yeah. >> You know, that it's it's amazing. So, we're excited about that and one of the reasons why we're coming here. >> Yeah. And I love that you said that like the onus is on you and I think that's what keeps Atlanta thriving so much in the culture is because a lot of us feel like the onus is on us to keep the torch. Um HB.CU are having such a moment right now and your daughter goes to Scat too. So like I love that you feel like the onus on you and you're moving rabbit hole studios to Atlanta. Eddie, what about you? >> Yeah. So, you know, on the production side, all the um projects that we do here, we're obviously going to tap into this amazing talent pool. But before I joined Laugh, Cry, Wow, I was at a company called Vice Media for 20 years. >> Yeah. >> Uh we did a lot of stuff down here. We did and I created the Noisy Channel, the music channel for um Vice. We did uh Noisy Atlanta one. We did Noisy Atlanta part two. Part of what And I was there for the good 20 years. with a good time years not the shitty 20 years I'm responsible over this part of the company that part um right so yeah you can talk to me after the panel if you want more detail but part of what made us I think successful um in that great run was leaving the door open and enabling creators at the storytelling level to come in and pitch their ideas So, um, I we're going to make the same commitment at Laugh Cry Wow. We want Atlantis Storytellers. It's Eddie at Laugh Crywow with a Y, not an IIE. That's my >> Eddie with a Y at Laugh Cry. Wow. If you're a Atlanta based storyteller, >> come tell us what you want to do. Let's go. And obviously there'll be stories about Atlanta. But this is a cosmopol a major American cosmopolitan city. You guys have a perspective on the whole country and you have a perspective on the world. So, let's tell stories um from Atlantic Creators. Eddie at Laugh Crywow with a Y, not an IE, but that's okay. It happens. >> Thank you. I love that. Make sure y'all connect with Eddie. Eddie, I want to stay down with you for a second because I want to pivot a little bit and talk for the marketers in the room and talk about how you see the production and how you see the storytelling from a marketer's perspective in Atlanta maturing. >> Well, so one of the things you laugh >> Yeah. Um so one of the things I did in my last career was I was on the forefront of defining brand partnerships um at Vice Media and at Laugh Crywow we have a slate that's pretty heavily invested in music sports and true crime stranger than fiction. Yeah. >> stories. Some of this slate, especially the sports stuff is very amendable to brand partnership, right? So, um this sports franchise that we're working on, for instance, I'm love to partner with brands um that want to integrate into the content um selling through to big traditional distribution channels, but also looking for opportunities to build content ecosystems off channel. um that brands can really play well. Um so um like I said, there's a portion, yeah, of this content that we're creating that's really perfect for brand sponsorship, >> sports, F1, we're looking at soccer, NBA, we're looking at another NBA story. So yeah, so there's definitely opportunity for brands to get involved and um I met some amazing people here over the last two days. Um but um I need a brand. We also we have Brian Bonafide distribution. I can't say what it is but off stage I can say um if I whisper in your ear. So >> you mean and I thought about even the FIFA World Cup is coming here. So you got a lot to think about and deal with. Um I want to ask you the same question. How do you see brands maturing the post-production storytelling process in Atlanta establishing IP? Why do you think this is a good investment? >> Well, that's where everything's going again. Brandon entertainment and all. So my background is again I've been working mostly in the video game industry. Yeah. >> So literally that's where all this coming from. They were at it 20 years ago. So those those uh athletes had to figure out how to monetize, right? So again a lot of them went, you know, they learned on Twitch and learned how to make how to build my audience. They learned how to reach out to the brands and then the brands needed to know who their demographics are and all of that stuff. Gaming folks have figured it out, right? And most of them had this is they their own companies, you know, they LLC. So now as I'm in called what's called the creative industries, right? If I'm going to work with film and if I work with music folks and my first question, do you have your LLC yet? I again jobs as you guys know is a little tough times in entertainment. What's happening on the job side? But on the entrepreneurial side, it's an incredible opportunity right now. Specifically a lot of stuff you're doing, right? So no, I'm really excited. And um a lot of folks don't know even in Atlanta Paul knows this that we you know we were considered a a martekch. We considered one of the top places for marketing right more automation and all that type of stuff. Yeah. So as our agencies here that are amazing and do a great job. All you guys are here you do a great job. Um we're really excited to get more that's why I'm here man. I'm really excited to get more tied into the brands >> but also like I said not only can we incentivize the brands to save money by getting here as well but the real goal is what we're talking about. How do we get this next generation working with those brands because they're going to be the future filmmakers, the future Tyler Perry's and all they're going to start by doing a commercial with this one brand. So that's our goal right now is to build a say a pipeline but build a uh a track way um for brands and and our talent but simply more like you ones who have figured it out. You figured it out. You need to I I got a bigger >> you figuring it out. Yeah. But it's important for folks to see what you're doing here. And I so that's why I yes I will keep blowing smoke up your ass because what you're doing is great and I think as folks see that that's the model now. Hollywood model is changing. >> So um >> get like I'm Hollywood points [laughter] >> because he was Hollywood but he and we don't we don't have a name yet for we call it a different name but we don't like any of the names yet. So come up with a name that would lead for brand marketing people. >> Come up with a name, please. >> Yeah. >> So anyway, man, so yeah, to answer finish up, man, I'm just really excited to to bring in as the entertainment changing and you're changing. >> You're ch I'm getting older. Well, no, you that the models change yet. >> Yeah. And um so are the are we going to stay in that old antiquated system or are we going to make this move now into what's coming with nets and stuff you're doing you're doing? >> Yeah. Vanel, do you have anything to add to that? >> Sure. I [clears throat] mean, I believe we're at a crossroads right now where everything is changing, you know. Um, and even with uh making films and so forth, you know, you used to be able to get a star and put him in a movie and it would open. >> Yeah. >> Almost no matter what, right? You have Kiana Re, you just sit back and pop the champagne and it's all going to be great. >> Not anymore. M >> right and so I think everything is changing to a to a place where we have to rethink everything right and so what we're doing is we're going direct you know with shorts and smaller project you know smaller teasers of projects to YouTube and to Tik Tok and to all these all these places gathering data from that and things that bubble up right then we we take them to the next level in terms of of greenlighting them and and so forth And I think, you know, we're at a place where working with brands, I believe, will be the new the new thing that we do, right? So rather than going to a distribution company or a studio to form projects and and and get things going, if we work organically with brands and make it good for everybody. >> Yeah. >> Right. We should be able to come up with something that actually serves the brand as well as serves the film and moves us, you know, to a place where everybody owns and when we do have great success, everybody wins. >> Yeah. >> And I think that's I'm excited about that as well because I think that's that's the new frontier. and what I'm what I'm seeing with with YouTube and with all these other I've had so many different meetings with other means of distribution that's just amazing now. So opportunity is there you know and for for me and and creating these worlds I need everything in those worlds. So blends for me organically people are using you know from Starbucks to Coke to Pepsi to you know you name it it's there and it's there organically and so I think I think it's a really exciting time. >> Yeah. >> But you got to think differently and move differently. >> Exactly. Absolutely. I agree. It's a great it's an exciting time literally every in my this my opinion of course but uh it's democratized now. >> Absolutely. It's like I was telling my friends again, if they have a somebody has an ET story, you can compete with Spielberg now. It's just like it's about storytelling who got the right. It's got to be a great story. >> It's also like part of the bigger picture when you look at the companies represented here at Brand Week. You're looking at the economic engine of the country, right? So the the this is like about having our economy succeed, be sustainable. We need these brands to work. They can't just become inert useless parts of our culture and uh because this is driving the economy, driving employment, driving health wellness, right? So it's it's like it's a virtuous circle really. >> For sure. For sure. So I want to open it up to Q&A. We have time for about two or three questions. So if you have any questions, can you raise your hand in the audience? And I can't really see out there. uh over here. Okay. >> First, may he handle um my question is what is the direct process to come into any three of you with a project? >> What's the direct process? Yeah. >> Eddie with a Y at Laugh Cry out there. >> I don't have projects but the state LinkedIn. Best place to catch me. LinkedIn. >> Yeah. And I'm I'm here. Hit me up. Let's you know, let's get it done here. And I love that we have a question over there. Hello. Hi, >> my name is Shante Wilkins. I often hear us in Atlanta talk about going after these springs and getting them to engage or what is the process have be has there been any thought about how that would happen or what that will look like in the near future? >> Sure. CL how what's the process to engage the brands in the future? Like how do you actually get in contact with them? How do you get them on board for the project? Is that what you were asking? >> Yes. Like what is the larger plan to do that? >> Yeah. >> The point to to engage with the brand. >> Yeah. >> Well, I'll tell you from my perspective, you know, brands have money that they're putting into, you know, uh that they're spending on different things and and I am the films that I make, you know, I I put butts in seats, right? I don't my partner [laughter] my partner is much much more cultured I guess you'd say she's more you know she's she's she loves art and art films more so you know for me I I do Indiana Jones type projects you know bad boys that you know I'm shooting some something or blowing something up or you know so anyhow we we put butts in seats and so if I can prove that you know we can do that and make it better for a brand to have something organic in our in our movie where people are spending money and then maybe using an American Express or a Visa or whatever have you. However, we can organically put it in there and partner with the brands for them to put funds into the film and and so forth. For us, it's that's a win-win. And for me to not have to go to the studios and kind of beholding to to that whole distribution model is is a much smarter play, you know, and that's why the you know the the bringing of the two together to me is so important. I mean you do product placement too. >> Yes. For laugh cry wow. Can I add? >> Yeah, you can wrap for that. I don't want to get in trouble. Um for laugh cry wow. Sure. We are developing original IP um and we want to take that IP to brands but we equally also want to hear from brands. Uh I've been in my career challenged with creative briefs from brands and agencies and that's how motherboard was born. That's how the creators project with Intel was born. Um so I'm really open to the uh a two-way dialogue. We have ideas, but we love brands to um come to us with ideas. Eddie with a Yapwow.com if you're a brand or an agency that wants to tell a story. Wow. Well, thank y'all so much for this session and thank you for being an engaged audience. >> That was a conversation recorded live at an AD Week event. You can find more coverage, analysis, and interviews from across the marketing and media world at adweek.com. Thanks for listening to Adspeak. If you like the show, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.