Shadowbox Film Studios in Atlanta welcomed approximately 25 Black students to the Backlot Academy. This program, launched in 2022, aims to diversify the ranks of professions where personal connections often determine who gets hired.
Experienced crew members taught participants how to survive a day on set, learning to decipher call sheets, use walkie-talkie jargon, and survive 12-hour days on their feet.
“I think what’s cool about all of this, as he was saying, is that Stranger Things is set in Russia, but it’s filmed here in Atlanta, which is very important, isn’t it? The idea that you might need Russia, the Himalayas, or even Los Angeles, but you can do it here in Atlanta with the people of Georgia. You know what I mean? Giving that money back into the Georgia economy and empowering the creatives in our city, because I think a lot of people think Hollywood is under the California sun, when it’s right here in our backyard,” said Jeremiah Cullen, Director of International Sales, Shadowbox Studios.
Shadowbox officials say, however, that the industry is in decline, particularly in Atlanta. After peaking at $4.4 billion in 2022, spending on film and television production in Georgia has plummeted, reaching only $2.3 billion in the last fiscal year, with the total number of productions dropping from 412 in 2022 to 245 last year.
"This is a pilot program for EICOP, which is the universities' outreach program to the entertainment industry that maintains relationships with historically Black colleges and universities in Atlanta. This program aims to gather student feedback on what helps them develop a more specialized curriculum for their 2026 summer program," explained Seth Hauer, head of workforce development and sustainability, Shadowbox Studios.
This decline accelerated after writers' and actors' strikes in 2023 halted productions for months, dealing a severe blow to an industry still recovering from COVID-19-related shutdowns.
“I’ve been to Los Angeles a few times, I’ve flown there once, but it’s too much for me personally, and I love Atlanta. So I’m going to stay here. I’m going to stick with the Atlanta film scene for now. If it doesn’t work out and I lose, no big deal, I’ll move, but I want to see where Atlanta can go from here,” said Julian Williams, a college student.
Marvel has left the Georgian market — its last film shot in that state was "Thunderbolts" in 2025 — and moved its large-scale productions to the UK, where labor and production costs are lower.
Streaming platforms such as Netflix are also increasingly filming abroad, while producing fewer programs overall.
